Addition to the Family
by ffxsuinyanYT
Summary: Mondo, Papa of the Arcana Famiglia, announces that he will retire and the winner will earn the title of "Papa" and marry his daughter! What about the two new members of the family, Arianna and Kousuke? They've come from Japan to add a little more spice into the story! Join the family as they start anew. EDIT: 9/3/2015
1. I

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **~ La Storia della Arcana Famiglia ~ I just like LSDAF. It's good. And cute. And Tarot cards! Well, read on!**

 **R &R and don't forget to check out the character page on my profile's last section~**

 **Enjoy, my little Arcana**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters and sfx, italics represent past events, memories, emphasis and foreign language, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **I : Regalo**

* * *

 _ **At the Ports of Regalo**_

The sea.

That was what the young lady standing on the dock was looking at.

"I've finally come back..." she trailed off, still looking at the shining blue sea before her.

" _Oi, Chibi! Mou ikuze, osoku naru yo!_ " a voice called from behind her. _"Chibi"_ huffed and looked over her shoulder. She yelled back, " _Paatii ha ato de yuugata ni-_ "

" _Ii kara, kocchi koi yo!_ " he began to walk away with their belongings, as the rest were being hauled onto a cart. Looking back to the ocean, a calm sea breeze passed by

 ***sigh*** " _Mattaku..._ " she muttered softly, turning on her heel and following her companion.

As she was walking down the port, she passed by two men who were taking crates off one of the docked ships. One bald and one blonde. Taking a short glance at the blonde, she thought 'Hm? He looks...familiar. I wonder...' Shaking it off, she quickened her pace to catch up to her friend, who was walking backwards slowly while waiting for her to catch up to him.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...In Town**_

Crimes.

That's what often happened in Regalo. And today happened to be one of the days a crime occurred. A crowd had formed around the supposed crime scene as two groups of men faced each other. A blue-haired teen stepped forward, unsheathing his katana.

"You've been caught red-handed for smuggling. The goods will be confiscated, and you will be taken into custody."

A man from the opposing forces lit a bomb, throwing it at them. Sounds of swords clashing could be heard as men began to battle. The blue-haired teen struck down a few opponents before he got "overpowered" by one of them.

"I'm gonna lend a hand!" someone yelled. The blue-haired teen glanced to the side to see the blonde running into battle with a cutlass in hand. "Tch." As his opponent let his guard down, the blue-haired teen quickly recovered, "There's no need for that!"

"You should learn to accept the generosity of others!" the blonde yelled at him as he ran into battle.

"What you're offering is called an unwelcome favor!"

The two were basically arguing whilst fighting the group of thieves as they come back-to-back, surrounded by them.

"You're not cute." "I'd prefer you not call me "cute"."

 ***a car screeches*** Their attention turns towards the car that came right at them. All men moving out of the way, the car spins and stops, letting in two of their "bosses" and driving off.

"I'm not letting you get away!" But before he could go after them, the blonde takes hold of his arm. "If ther're only certain routes they can take. We can catch up by using the back roads, right?" The younger of the two looks at the older one incredulously. "W-What?" Running past the blonde, he complies and says, "Hurry up."

"Hah? I know!" the blonde yells back and runs after him.

* * *

"It seems there's some trouble at the harbour."

The dealer with silver locks and an eye-patch looked up from the deck of cards.

"Trouble?"

* * *

A young man grinned happily as a lasagna was placed before him. "Haaa~ Lasagna, I've been waiting for you! Thank you for the meaaaa-" he was cut off by a car zooming past the area.

"Ah," he blurted then looked back at his delicious lasagna. His face said 'What should I do? Should I go? But I want to eat my lasagna!'

Quite the struggle if you ask me.

* * *

"Milady."

"Milady" turned around, seemingly annoyed. "What is it now, Luca?" Her subordinates also turned to Luca, their faces screaming annoyance and intimidation.

"Geh..." recovering from surprise, he continued. "Th-The party tonight is a very special one. We should start heading back to the mansion." Her only response to his pestering was, "There'll be plenty of time for that _after_ we finish our patrol." She and her team turned back to continue their patrol of Regalo.

"Yes, but... You will also need time to change."

The sound of a speeding car could be heard from where they were, coming closer to their position. "Oh!" a voice came from above. "Milady" looked towards the source and saw-

"Found you!" a blonde teen jump down from the roof of one of the buildings and onto the car.

"Libertà?"

The blue-haired teen comes out from the path he took. " _That idiot_. How reckless can he be?"

"Nova." Nova looks back to the person who said his name. "Felicità."

* * *

Libertà looked towards the thieves, who were now pointing guns at him. "Don't move, Libertà," a voice called out to him from behind. "Debito!"

He looked over his shoulder to see a young man with an eye-patch take out his own guns from their holsters. He crossed his arms, gun still in his hands, and shot the guns out of the thieves hands. The one driving the vehicle did a sharp turn, dropping his companions in the process.

"Jump, Libertà!" another voice called out.

The two on the car looked to the source to see...a bald man carrying a bazooka?! "Are you serious?!" The bald man shoots at the car, destroying it completely. "That's dangerous, Dante!"

"No need to worry," was Dante's reply to his course of action.

As Libertà flew in the air, he landed in the arms of another. "Eh?"

"See?" the person who caught him said, food lingering on his face. "Pace."

" _Kyaaaa!_ " " _Move it!_ "

The boss of thieves attempted escape, but stopped as Luca stepped forward, knives in hand. He looked around for an escape route, but was surrounded by men (and woman), all clad in black suits. The boss, now knowing there was no escape, ran at the woman, fists in the air. One of her men was ready to take out his weapon when she stopped him and took hold of her knives. Before she could strike, Nova came in front of her and sliced the clothes of the thief completely without harming his body.

"I-I surrender..." The thief fell to the ground and cheers from the surrounding crowd could be heard.

"That settles that," Dante says. Felicità looks to him and asks, "Dante, what are we going to do about the car?"

"I was about to die!" Libertà says, walking up to the two along with Pace. "Your actions are too bold!"

"Well, I _am_ bald," he replies and laughs haughtily. "Just kidding!" The four, Nova standing off to the side, looked at Dante with disbelief. Libertà claps his hands once and says, "Well, let's go," and walked towards Luca and Debito.

"Who _are_ those people?" a young man within the crowd asks. "That was intense," his companion adds. "Is this your first time here, boys?" a woman asks them. "Eh?" they blurt out. "I'm curious if this is the first time you've been to the trade island of Regalo."

"Y-Yes."

"Then, let me tell you. Clean out your ears and listen well! They are the vigilante organization that protects Regalo Island, the _Arcana Famiglia_."

A young male and female were off to the side, listening to their conversation. " _Arcana Famiglia_ , huh?" the female muttered quietly. "Let's go, Shorty." She simply nodded and continued to walk with him.

* * *

 _ **At the Mansion**_

"Milady, you musn't!" "This isn't just some ordinary party."

 ***knock*knock*** "Milady. Everyone is waiting for you." The door to Felicità's room opened, as she stepped out, Luca was shocked.

"Milady..."

"What's the matter, Luca?" she asked him. Recovering, he asks, "You're not attending the party in _those_ clothes, are you?"

"Yeah," she deadpanned.

"You musn't! Today is-" "Papa's birthday, right? Let's go, Fukulota," she called her pet owl. Leaving a depressed Luca behind, the two run (and fly) to the main hall. "She used to be much more obedient," he says sadly.

"Maybe there's a problem with how you raised her," the eldest maid, Mariella, suggests. "Huh?"

"Indeed, you _were_ Milady's attendant since she was little, after all," the youngest, Isabella, adds. "It's all Luca's fault," the former princess turned maid, Donatella, tells him.

"Luca, we'll be late!" Felicità calls out to him from down the hall.

Once again recovering, he replies. "Right away, Milady!" Luca then runs off to catch up with his beloved mistress, leaving the three maids to sigh.

* * *

All members of the Arcana Famiglia were gathered to celebrate Papa's birthday. At one side of the room, Pace was happily eating whilst Debito just stood there with him. "Mm? What's wrong?" Pace asks, noticing Debito looking at something.

More like someone.

His attention turns towards the now attending Felicità and a, once again, depressed Luca.

"What are you wearing, _Bambina_?" Debito asks her. ( **A/N: Bambina means "little girl" in Italian or however you wish to translate it** )

"We were all looking forward to seeing you in a dress," Pace comments. Confused, Felicità tilts her head a bit and asks, "Is what I'm wearing not good enough?"

"Luca! Do you job as her attendant, would 'ya?" "Yeah! It's bad enough that we're constantly surrounded by guys!" they complained.

"But I...But I wanted Milady to wear a dress, too!" Luca cries.

"However," a voice starts. The three look to see Nova walking towards them. "If something were to happen, it's probably better for her to be wearing something less restrictive than a dress."

"Ah, I see," Debito says and walks towards Nova. "It's easier to admire _Bambina's long, beautiful legs_ with what she's got on now. Do you have a _leg fetish_ , shorty?" he asks him whilst placing his arm on Nova's shoulder. "We may agree on something." Brushing his arm off, Nova says, "Nonsense."

Nova looks towards Felicità, who flinched a bit as if seeing something. Her Arcana powers accidentally activated. She looked into Nova's heart and saw herself wearing a beautiful Japanese kimono. Flustered at his thoughts, she looks away. Noticing, Nova looks at her confused.

"Huh?" Libertà walked towards them. "You're not wearing a dress, _Ojou_?"

Once more, her Arcana powers activate and she looks into Libertà's heart to see herself in undergarments whilst holding a pink dress. Even more flustered, and angered, at the indecent thoughts these boys had, she turns away from him and looks down. Libertà walks up to her side and bends down. "What's wrong? _Ojou_? You're face is red."

She glares at him and gives him a nice, painful kick. Everyone began to look at them. "Ouch...What the hell was that for?" He looks up to see a deadly Felicità holding knives in her hands ready to kill. "Ah- Wh-What the hell did I do, _Ojou_?!"

A man chuckles as he walks towards the teens. "Jolly."

"It's because you were thinking bad things."

Felicità looked irritated as she put away her knives whilst Libertà got to his feet and asked, "What do you mean, 'bad things'?"

"This shouldn't need explaining again, but, we have all made a deal with Tarocco to gain our Arcana powers. For example, you, Libertà, have the first card ( **A/N: technically the card number is 0 or 22 in major arcana, but eh** ), _Il Matto: the Fool._ " "R-Right," Libertà nods.

"Nova, just like you have the 13th card, _La Morte: Death_ ," Jolly continues. "You don't have to explain all of this now," was his reply.

"Milady made a deal with the sixth card, _Gli Amanti: the Lovers_." Felicità gives him a silent nod in reply. "Her power, by that I mean her Arcana power, is the power to see into others' hearts," he explains to them.

"Then..." Libertà trails off then looks towards Felicità, who looks away from him.

"But, I just saw it by chance," she tells them. "Yes. Arcana powers use emotions as their foundation. The reason you don't have control over your powers yet, Milady, is because you're still a _child_ ," he tells as her, fingers on her chin to lift her face as he closes in.

"Please do not touch Milady," Luca interrupts, grabbing Jolly's hand and gripping it tightly. He gives Jolly a hard look as he walks away then realizes.

"Hm? She read Libertà's heart..." he trails off then points at Libertà in outbursts. "Does that mean you were thinking of Milady in _unbecoming ways?!_ " he questions. The questioned's face turns to a bright red as he replies with, "The hell do you mean by "unbecoming ways"?!"

"W-Well..." Luca's face now the color of a bright tomato as steam poofs out of his ears. _Pervert._ His face slams into a column by a well-deserved kick from Felicità. "My apologies, Milady..." he manages to make out.

"My condolences," Debito comments.

"Hey! Dante's going to give his greeting," Pace tells them.

* * *

"Gentlemen. I would live to thank everyone for showing up despite your busy schedules, for the sake of our Arcana Famiglia's "Papa", Mondo. We would like to start with a word from Papa," he addresses. Papa, two beautiful ladies wearing kimonos, and a young man walk down the stairs.

'Huh? Who are they?' Felicità, Nova and Libertà thought.

"The head of our family!" "Glory to Arcana!" the men cheered.

"Gentlemen. Thank you for gathering today. Today, I am celebrating my 59th birthday. The reason I have gotten this far is because of all of you. Our Regalo Island has overcome many hardships. Raids from smugglers, occupation from foreign countries, lack of goods, oppression from a tyrant, epidemics... Once you start counting, there's no end. But we were able to overcome all of this with our familial bond and with the Arcana powers. However, I've already gotten to that age. I'm starting to think about retirement."

"Papa?"

"Therefore, I am considering choosing someone to take my place. In two months, we will be holding the _Arcana Duello_."

"Arcana...Duello?"

"It will be a fight where all those with Arcana powers will participate to determine who has the strongest Arcana powers. I, the 21st card, _Il Mondo: the World_ , hereby swear to give the victor the title of "Papa" and grant their wish." The room fills with cheers from the members of the famiglia.

"And one more thing. The winner will marry my daughter, Felicità." "Huh?"

"Marry _Ojou_?" Libertà asks.

"Papa, just what are you thinking?" Nova questions.

"What? What does that mean?" a slightly confused Pace wonders.

"Well, this will be interesting," Debito comments.

Felicità steps forward. "What is it, Felicità?" Papa asks his daughter. "Do you have any concerns?"

"I don't want to get married," she tells him.

"You chose with your own free will to join the Arcana Famiglia. This is the rule of the family. Meaning, you have to do as I say. Am I wrong?" She grits her teeth in response. "You will become the new Mama and support the family.

"Papa, what's the reason for this?" Nova asks. "There is a reason. However, I need not explain myself."

At that moment, a knife was thrown at his face, but was caught in between two fingers of a young lady's hand. "Hoh?" Papa blurts out, barely surprised. The young female hands the knife to Papa as he says, "If you don't want to follow orders, challenge me here and win."

"Papa!"

"That's impossible!"

"Just shut up," Debito tells his childhood friends.

Papa drops the knife as they prepare for battle. "This seems interesting." The young lady that stood in front of Papa looks at him. He gives her a curt nod in reply. Understanding that he was serious, she steps back and stands beside Mama.

Felicità makes the first move, sending a seemingly powerful kick to the head, only for it to be blocked easily. "Is that all your kick has to offer?" Mondo asks his daughter, obviously looking down on her abilities. Stepping back, she charges forward again. Multiple head kicks were made, only to be dodged or blocked in return.

"I will choose...my own path!" she yells at him in the midst of battle.

Blocking another kick, he tells her, "You haven't the right to choose your own path..." he grabs her ankle before finishing, "...in your current state!" Gripping her ankle tightly, he picks up her entire body and drops her to the floor on her backside.

" _Ojou!_ " "Milady!" Luca shouts as he runs to her side. Felicità sits up and glares at her father.

"If you're just going to sit there and glare...a little child can do that, too," Mondo tells her as his wife fixes his jacket. "Why not try shedding a tear or two, as well? You may be able to earn the pity of the men who are going to participate in the Duello."

"You're robbing _Ojou_ of her freedom. How can you still call yourself her father?!" Libertà yells at him. "What are you doing, Libertà?"

"As expected of Libertà the fool!" Debito says. "Your careless, no regard outbursts are fantastic!" "Don't instigate him, Debito!" Luca tells his friend.

"Are you saying you can't follow orders either, Libertà?" Mondo asks the young lad. "That's right!" he replies. "Then defeat me. Right here, right now." Libertà's eyes widen. "What's the matter? Are you scared of making a fool of yourself like Felicità?" he asks him.

"There's no guarantee..." he starts as he takes out his cutlass. "...that I'm going to make a fool of myself!" The two younglings standing behind Mondo take into a defending stance beside him, ready to take out their weapons if need be. Libertà charges at Mondo. "Libertà!"

Before he could strike, Nova stood in front of him, blocking his path. The two standing beside Mondo relax and stand step back once more. "Nova!"

"Papa is the father of our family. I won't condone any harm toward our father," Nova tells him, narrowing his eyes and unsheathing his katana. The two hard-headed teens charge at each other. Before they got a chance to strike, Pace holds Libertà back while Nova...

...trips...

...over air?

His katana flies out of his hands, only to be picked up by an 'invisible' force known as Debito. "Debito?"

"Very perceptive. I made a deal with the ninth card, _L'eremita: the Hermit_ ," Debito explains. "So your powers are to make yourself invisible," Nova states in understanding.

"Let me go! Let me go! Would let me go already, you musclehead!" Libertà struggles in Pace's iron grip.

"I understand how you feel, but...it's not good if you go against Papa," Pace tells him, his Arcana stigmata glowing on his hand. "Pace has a deal with the 11th card, _La Forza: Stength_ ," Nova states. "His strength is overwhelming. No one can oppose it." ( **A/N: Pfft, no one he says. Libertà's a badass**.)

"Let go..." Libertà mutters. "Huh?"

"Let go!" he shouts, his Arcana stigmata glowing on his forehead. A bright light appears out of nowhere as Pace suddenly loses hold on Libertà. "What?"

Libertà stumbles forward, now taking a kneeling position. Mondo walks up to him, looking down on the young lad. "How pitiful."

Before Libertà could stand up, Mondo gets up in his facial area. "If you want to free my daughter, then you need to win the Arcana Duello." Libertà lets out his breath as Papa moves away from his face. "I told you. I will grant any wish," he tells him and turns to walk away.

As the four walk towards the staircase, Mama stops and looks to her daughter. "Felicità."

"Ah, Mama."

"There is a way for you to win as well. You're going to choose your own path, right?" she smiles at her daughter before walking away. The other two simply linger, staring at Felicità before catching up to Mama. As they reach the top of the staircase, Mondo stops, causing the other three to stop as well.

"Ah, before I forget," he began, causing everyone's attention to focus on him. "These two are the family's two newest additions, Arianna and Kousuke. Arianna is my younger sister's daughter, and they've come from Japan to help our famiglia. Do treat them well."

"Yes, Papa!" came the replies of the men in the room. Arianna and Kousuke simply bowed to them slightly before turning to walk with Papa and Mama. They had much to discuss.

'Arianna...' Nova thought. She had changed so much since the last time they've seen each other. What does Felicità think?

* * *

"The Wheel of Fortune has started turning...opposing the guidance of the Tarocco," Mondo says.

"Yes, Papa," came Arianna's and Kousuke's curt replies.

* * *

 _ **Outside at the Fountain**_

I sat down at the fountain, thinking about the Arcana Duello and what Papa said. 'Am I really still just a child? And those two...that was Arianna and Kousuke. Do they have Arcana powers, too?' My thoughts wandered until I heard footsteps coming closer. I looked to where they came from and saw, "Libertà."

"Don't worry, _Ojou!_ "

"Eh?" I became confused. 'Worry about what?' I thought. "I'm going to win this and take the title of 'Papa'. Then..."

"I'll be your bride?" I finish for him.

"Eh? Ah- No! That's not what I meant! Um... Anyway, it means you'll regain your freedom! Right?" he explains to me. I look up at him and smile, nodding in reply. That made me happier. He was going to help me. "I see..." I heard him mutter.

"Eh?" I blurt out, confused. "You may end up being my bride... Even so, it's kind of hard to understand," he says and laughs.

"You're so oblivious."

"What do you mean by "oblivious", you chickpea," he says. "Don't call me a chickpea!" Nova yells back, walking towards us.

"You can barely control your Arcana powers, yet you're foolish enough to say you'll win the Arcana Duello. If _that's_ not oblivious, then what is?" he asks. I'm starting to get worried. The two of them always fight like this...

"I made the decision to live by this sword. So I have no need for Arcana powers," Libertà tells him.

Nova let out a big sigh and said, "You truly are oblivious."

"But you can't use your Arcana powers either. I've never once seen you use your Arcana powers," Libertà states.

"Don't compare me with you!" he outbursts. I jumped a little. 'That surprised me...' I thought while looking at Nova. "Don't worry, Felicità," he tells me, a shadow cast over his eyes. "Eh?"

"If I were to win, I'll wish not to marry you." I nod. "That means if either of us wins, then Ojou will be free, right?"

"The likelihood of _you_ winning is rather slim if you ask me," Nova tells him. "The hell did you say, you damn chickpea?!"

"The truth," he says, turning to walk back inside the mansion. "And _don't_ call me a chickpea."

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

"...do you understand, Arianna? Kousuke?" Mama asks the two.

"Yes, Mama. I will see to any uprising within the family myself as well as partake in the Arcana Duello," Kousuke replies.

"How about you, Arianna? Do you wish to take part in the Duello?" Mondo asks his niece. Said girl drinks from her teacup before placing it back onto the table.

"I...have no desire to win such a tournament, for the rewards are not what I seek."

"Hoh..."

"Moreover...I do not wish to become Papa of the family."

"Then will _you_ be the new _Mama_?" he asks. She looks up at Mondo, her emerald eyes as serious as his own. Noticing this, she closes her eyes and takes her teacup back into her hands.

"Well, that all depends on the results of the Duello. For all we know, my dear cousin, Felicità, could be victorious." Smirking at her answer, he leans back in his chair. "Well now...

...that all depends on the results of the Duello."

* * *

 _ **What is your Tarocco?**_

* * *

 **The Arcana Duello has been announced! And two newcomers have come into play. What will become of the relations among all these people by the time the Duello comes? Stay tuned!**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Enjoy your stay at Regalo Island.**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	2. II

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Having fun in Regalo?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Here's another chapter of Arcana Famiglia! I may or may not finish this in a week or two, I have to check the manga again.**

 **R &R ~ Read On !**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters and sfx, italics represent past events, memories, emphasis and foreign language, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **II : Arcana Famiglia**

* * *

'The breeze feels nice...' I thought as we drive through the forest. "Are you sad?"

"Eh?" I blurt out as I look to my attendant, Luca.

"Well, you are leaving the house you've lived in for so long. It's no surprise if you're a little sad. But fear not, you have me, your attendant, the 14th card, _La Temperanza, Temperance_ , by your side- Eh?!" he yells as he takes notice I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. My arm was propped up on the side of the car as I watch the view of trees pass by.

We parked the car as we arrived at the manor. Walking to the front doors, we were greeted by a few members of the famiglia. "Welcome, _Ojou!_ "

"You all came to welcome us?" Luca asked. "Of course!" the blonde replied. "Today is the day that Mondo's only daughter, Miss Felicità, joins our family," a bald man states.

"What he said, _Bambina_." "Pleased to meet you, _Ojou_." I was greeted by a man wearing an eye-patch and another wearing glasses. I smiled at them.

"Thank you. You came, too, Nova?" I asked while looking towards my cousin.

"This _idiot_ insisted that all the upper echelons of each serie be present in greeting you," he tells me whilst side glaring at the blonde. "Who the hell are you calling an idiot, you damn _chickpea?_ " "Don't call me a chickpea," Nova retorts. I laugh escaped my lips as I smile at their antics. "Don't laugh, Fel," Nova scolds me.

"Hey now, when did you start calling her "Fel"?" one of them asks Nova. "That's right, you two grew up together, didn't you?"

"Mhm," I reply with a nod. I look back at Nova, only to have him look away from me...again.

"Alright then, it's decided!"

"Hm?"

We looked toward the blonde as he continued, "Let's all introduce ourselves to _Ojou_ again." "There's no need," Nova tells him. "Well, she may know you, but she doesn't know me that well," the blonde retorts. "You mean _us_ , Libertà," the man with the eye-patch tells Libertà? I guess that's his name.

"Exactly." "That is true."

"Yes, please do," I tell them.

"All right! I'm Libertà. I'm in the Intelligence serie. Our serie deals with foreign diplomacy and affairs as well as gathering intelligence. And the leader of said serie is Dante," he introduces while looking towards Dante, the bald man. "I am also the director of the Arcana Famiglia. The card I made a deal with is the fourth card, _L'Imperatore: the Emperor._ My Arcana power is-"

"You're taking too long, old man. I'm the head of the "Coin" serie, which deals with finance. What would you like to know about me, _Bambina?_ " he asks me before getting pushed aside.

"And i'm in the serie responsible for inspections, Pace, head of the "Wands". My favorite food is lasa-" he introduced before getting pushed aside as well.

"And I'm-" "You don't need an introduction, Luca," they tell him. I stifled a small laugh and looked at Nova.

"Anyway, my favorite food is..." "You two are mean!"

"What are you being shy for?" Libertà asks Nova. "I'm not being shy. I'm Nova of the "Cups" serie responsible for security."

"There are so many different serie," I comment. "They are all needed here on Regalo. And you, Milady, will be assigned to the serie in charge of intervention, "Sword"," Dante tells me.

"Sword?" I ask. "Who's the head of that serie?"

"The position is currently open," Libertà tells me.

"Ahem. With that..."

* * *

I beat another member of the Swords, earning my final win to claim the spot as head of the Sword serie.

"By the name of the 20th card, _Il Giudizio: Judgement_ , I proclaim Felicità the victor," Sumire, the family's Mama and my mother, announces.

"Well done, Milady," the member compliments me.

"I definitely don't dislike strong women."

"Congratulations, Milady!"

"Guess it's settled. Ojou is the new head of the Sword," Libertà says.

* * *

" _Saluti_ " ( **A/N: Pronounced as sa-loo-tea and means "Cheers!" in Italian** )

"Now your new path has opened up, right, _Ojou_?" Libertà asks her. "New path, huh? That was fairly well-said. For you," Nova comments.

'My new path...' I thought. _"You haven't the right to choose your own path..._

 _...in your current state!"_

I woke up upon recalling Papa's words. I sat up in bed.

 _"In two months, we will be holding the Arcana Duello. The victor will receive the title of 'Papa', and I will grant their wish."_

 _"And one more thing. The winner will marry my daughter, Felicità."_

* * *

"Good morning," I greet as I walk into my office. "Good morning, Milady," Luca greets back. Walking further in, I notice the large stacks of paper atop my desk. ***sigh*** "I see... so today I'm sorting out the documents?"

"Yes. All other members of the Sword are already out on their patrol," Luca informs me. I look down at that. "Everyone's looking out for you."

"Eh?" this got me to look back up. "Well, in light of Papa's announcement last night, we figured you might need some time to think by yourself."

"I know," I reply. "Th-That's right, we've received quite a few limone... I'll go and prepare some limonata," he says and runs past me. Before he left, he said, "Ah, yes! Arianna-sama said that she would come by later!" As soon as he closed the door, I looked out the window.

"Arianna is here..." ***knock*knock*knock*** "Ah- come in!"

The door opened to reveal- " _Ciao_ , _Ojou!_ " "What are you doing here, Libertà?" I ask him. He walks in and shows me a pink seashell. "Here." I take it from his hand and look at it more closely. "Ah~ How pretty!"

"I picked it up when we were unloading this morning," he tells me.

"Are you...worried about me because of yesterday?" I asked him curiously. "Eh? Uh...yeah..." he replies, scratching his cheek. "I'll be okay. After all, I am the head of the Sword," I tell him. "Well said, _Ojou_." When he said that, footsteps could be heard from the hall. We looked towards the open door to see Nova run by. "Nova?"

"That's strange. He's never in a hurry," Libertà says. He grabs my hand, pulling me out the door. "Let's go see why!"

We ran down the hall and stopped at another open door to see Nova crouching on the floor looking under the bed. "Huh?"

"The hell are you doing?" Libertà asks. "I-I'm working!" Nova tells him. "You two seem rather close this morning."

"Close?" Libertà asks again. Nova looks down, causing Libertà to look at our hands, which we still being held together. "S-Sorry, _Ojou!_ "

"Eh?" I blurt out confused.

"A-Anyway, what do you mean "you're working"?" he asks once more. "This has nothing to do with either of you," he tells us. "Jeez, sorry I asked. Let's go, _Ojou_."

I step forward. "Are you having some trouble? I ask him. "I'm not troubling over anything."

Suddenly, I feel my Arcana powers activate. I look into his heart to see Nova and his team on patrol. A carriage was passing by as he noticed a kitten in the middle of the streets. "A white...kitten?" I blurt out.

"What's that?" Libertà asks me.

"You did it again! Stop snooping around in my heart without permission!" Nova yells at me. "I-I'm sorry..."

""Stop snooping" you say... You don't have to be so mean about it."

"He's right, Nova." We turned to the door to see...

"Aria!" "Arianna!" " _Hime!_ "

* * *

"Aria, what are you doing here?" I ask her. She was wearing a dark blue kimono with a floral pattern on it. 'A beautiful kimono...wait- now isn't the time to be thinking such things!' I thought. "I came back yesterday, remember? I was merely walking down the halls when I heard you yelling. What's all the fuss about anyway?" she asks. I mentally sigh.

"Yeah, what's that about a white kitten?" the idiot asks me. Giving in, I explain the story to them.

"Eh?! You _saved_ it?! _You_ saved a white kitten from being run over by a carriage?!"

"Oh my...you weren't hurt, were you?" Aria asks me worriedly. "No, I wasn't. And keep it down!" I direct at the idiot.

"So you were looking for that kitten?" Fel asks. "Yes...I thought I followed it to this mansion, but it got excited and ran off somewhere," I tell them. "Let us help you find it."

"There's no need," I say.

"But there's a better chance of finding it with four people rather than just one," the idiot suggests. "Four?" I ask.

"It's obvious I'm going to help as well. Let's split up, _Ojou! Hime!_ " "Okay," Fel nods in reply while Aria just chuckles at his suggestion.

"All right, I'm going this way." "Then, I'll look over there." As they leave the room, I let out a heavy sigh, but stopped when I heard chuckling again. I look up to see Aria still in the room, looking at me. "W-What?"

"Oh, nothing," she says and turns to walk out the room. Before she leaves, she stops at the door and looks over her shoulder to look at me.

"It's nice to see you again, Nova."

 _That smile._

The same, genuine smile she always gave me when we were kids...

"Y-Yeah, sure..." I heard her laugh again. "Well? Are you coming?" she asks me. So she was waiting for me.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

* * *

We walked into the library to the sound of a cat's meow from inside and saw the cat atop one of the many bookshelves. "All the way up there..." Aria says while looking up towards the second floor.

I make my way up the stairs and stop in front of the bookshelf the cat was on top of. Grabbing a ladder, I placed it in front of the shelf and climbed up.

"Be careful!" I heard Aria call out worried.

As I made my way to the top, I come face to face with the kitten. 'Gotcha-' I stopped mid-thought as I felt the bookshelf lean towards me.

"Ahh!" "Ah, Nova!"

I fell off the ladder, the various books toppling onto me. The kitten jumps onto one of the books as my head pops out of the pile, a tick mark appearing on my face. 'That little...' I hear Aria make her way up the stairs and stop near the pile of books.

"A-Are you alright, Nova?" she asks me. ***sigh*** "...I'm fine," I tell her as she helps out from under the books.

We make our way back into the halls of the mansion.

"Stupid cat..." I mutter under my breath.

"Now, now..."

* * *

 _ **In the Gardens**_

"Found you!" "You're not getting away this time!"

I calmly walked up to Felicità's side whilst the two boys ran over furiously. "Eh? What the heck?" Felicità asked, alarmed. I place a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a bit in surprise before looking at me and smiling. "Arianna..." I smile back at her. We notice the kitten jump into the pavilion.

"I'm going in from this side!" "Then I'll go around from the other side!" The two jump at the kitten, only to bump heads with each other as the kitten jumped into my arms. I sighed at the sight whilst Felicità just stared at them.

"You little...!" "You won't get away with this!" The kitten got scared in my arms, which Felicità and I take notice of, before pouting at the two. Felicità kicked them both on the head.

"Will you two stop it already?!" "Honestly!" The cat meows happily.

"They say cats like girls, but...could it be any more obvious?" Libertà says. "Seriously..." Nova agrees with him.

Felicità and I glance at each other before stifling small laughs. "What's so funny, _Ojou?_ _Hime?_ " Libertà asks us.

"It's just so rare for you two to agree on something," she tells him. "Hoh? Is that so?" I question whilst looking at the two, a small smirk upon my face.

"It's merely a coincidence. A coincidence," Libertà insists. "That would be my line," Nova says.

"You piss me off..."

I merely giggle at their antics as they continue to argue for a bit. "Are they always like this, Felicità?" I ask her. "Mhm," she nods and laughs with me.

After they calmed down, we sat down within the pavilion and discussed the current situation.

The lost kitten.

"There's no other choice but to return it to where I found it," Nova suggests. "Where you found it? You mean Fiore Street?" Libertà asks.

While the two discuss about what to do with the cat, Felicità and I just keeping petting it affectionately. 'I wonder where Pepe went off to...' I wonder. "What if it gets in the path of a carriage again?"

"Are you going to adopt it, then?" Nova asks Libertà. "You know I can't. I never know when I'll have to go out to sea because of work."

I notice Felicità stop petting the cat to look at the two, so I do the same as well. "I think this cat belongs to someone though," she says. I look at her, then back at the cat. "Now that you mention it..." I trail off to point at the ribbon around the cat's neck. "Look here."

"Then we should find the owner," Libertà suggests. "Despite the fact that we have no leads?" Nova questions. I look at him with disbelief that he's being so pessimistic when he's the one who found the cat in the first place. He notices my staring and looks back with a look that said "What?"

"What a pretty smell."

We turned to see Felicità...smelling the cat. "It smells like flowers?"

"This would be a perfume made from a blend of _Osman Rose_ and _Prelude Rose_."

"Jolly!" "Not to mention the ribbon around its neck is made from fairly expensive material," he adds. "Hm? What's the matter?" he asks Libertà who was looking at him the entire time he came here.

"Oh, well, you rarely leave the lab. What are you doing out at this hour?" he asks.

"Indeed, the Tarocco I made a deal with was the 18th card, _La Luna: the Moon_. But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed out during the day," Jolly states. "You probably hit a snag during the progress of your shady research," Nova comments. I look at him, again. "Nova."

"Hn. Apparently, you still fail to comprehend alchemists."

"Th-Thank you for telling us about the perfume," Felicità says to Jolly. "I am the family's advisor. It's only natural I advise family members when they are troubled," he says then walks away from the pavilion. "Well, we're one step closer," Libertà says. "The clues are..."

"...the perfume," I say for him.

"...and a ribbon made from expensive material," Nova finishes. Felicità stands up from her seat, cat in arms. "Let's go!"

"Yes." "Yeah!" were the two's replies. They glanced at each other only to look away afterwards.

 ***sweatdrop*** "Now, now..."

* * *

 _ **Afternoon**_

We walk to the cafe, an air of depression surrounding the three as we walked in. I was fine, as it was in my personality (more like Arcana powers) to be calm about everything.

"What's wrong with them, _Hime?_ " Pace asks me. "Ah, well..."

We sat down at the same table and explained what had happened to Pace.

"I think it's rather impossible to find its owner with just those clues- Or maybe not. It's still too soon to decide that," he tells us.

"But after walking around so much, it's no wonder you're exhausted," Wand Member A says. "I wish those of us in the Wand could be of more help, but we have to get to work now," Wand Member B tells us, dropping their hopes of gaining more help.

"I'm sorry, _Ojou! Hime!_ " Pace apologizes to us. "If only I knew more about perfumes...Oh- _There is!_ There _is_ someone who knows!"

-line

"And so, you came to see me."

The cat meows. ( **A/N: I laughed after reading this a second time lol** )

"More importantly, why don't you play for a while, _Bambina_?" he asks Felicità. 'What a flirt' I thought. "So this is the place run by the Coins, _Isis Regalo_."

"Yeah, this isn't the only place, though," Debito adds. "Maybe next time," she tells him. "You're welcome anytime, _Bambina_. Of course, you are too, _Bella_ ," he says while glancing at me. " _B-Bella?_ " I stutter. That's Italian for "beauty", right? Oh dear...

"So, when is next time?"

"Are you gonna help us or not, Debito?!" Libertà asks. "Tch. I can think of at least fifteen _signorinas_ who wear this perfume. However, I have no idea if any of them own cats," he states. ( **A/N: Signorina is "lady" in Italian** ) "Not to mention, if the only other clue you have is that... I rather hate to disappoint a woman, but...It's impossible. You should give up," he tells her.

" _Ojou_..."

We look to Felicità who held the cat in her arms. 'I sense something good will come out of this, and I'm no Kousuke' I thought. ( **A/N: Will be explained why she says this at a later time** ) "Blonde..." she mutters. "Huh?" I blurt out while looking at her, my head tilting to the side a bit.

" _Ojou_ , did you..."

"...look into its heart?" Nova finishes for him.

"You just "a blonde" right now, didn't you?" Debito asks. Putting his fingers to his chin, he says, "I'm able to narrow it down to eight with that...Expensive material? Heh, it would seem I won't have to disappoint you after all, _Bambina_."

* * *

 _ **At Abito di Federica**_

"Oh, Fran!"

The cat jumps down from Felicità's arms and jumps into his owner's. "I was worried sick about you!" We smile at her. She gets up from the floor and looks at us, "Thank you, Arcana Famiglia."

"Not at all, Madam Federica, it is after all the job of the family," I tell her whilst bowing slightly. "I must do something to thank you," she says. She looks around her shop before turning back to look at me and Felicità. We both look at each other before looking back at Federica in confusion.

Later, the curtains to the dressing room opened.

"Oh, my. How wonderful. Just as I thought, you two look great," she compliments us. Felicità simply smiles. I, on the other hand, was completely amazed. "I've...never worn a Western dress before," I tell her.

"You look great, Arianna," Felicità tells me. I smile at her and say, "You too."

"Please accept those as a token of my gratitude," Federica says. "Huh? But..."

" _Ojou, Hime,_ just take it. She did give it to you, after all," Libertà tells us. "Accepting someone's token of appreciation is good manners, as well," Nova adds. After contemplating on it, Felicità decides to accept the gift.

"Thank you, Madam Federica."

* * *

'It's gotten late...I hope Kousuke isn't worried as much as Luca is' I thought to myself, smiling a little at the though. The two were so alike yet so different at the same time. Felicità carried the box that held her gift inside, while Libertà offered to carry mine. It took a while before I gave in and let him carry it for me. Quite the gentleman if I do say so myself.

"It sure does feel good to be able to help out those in need," Libertà says. "Huh?" Felicità and I blurt out. "Your Arcana powers, _Ojou_... The reason we got to see her smiling face was because of your powers," he tells her.

"How naive," Nova comments. "What?!"

"I told you not to look into others' hearts without permission," he continues. "Nova..." I trail off as we stop by a lamp post.

"Why do you have to be an ass and say it like that?!" Libertà yells at him. "I don't know about the cat, but do you really think that there's a person who would actually feel comfortable if that happened to them?" he asks. "That may be so, but Felicità hasn't any control over her Arcana powers," I tell him.

"But we're going to have to win in the upcoming Arcana Duello." Felicità turns to look at him, "Huh?"

"Where did that come from?" Libertà asks.

"It's true that we need to strengthen our Arcana powers. Learn how to control your powers with your own will. If you manage to do that, then..." he trails off, his face softening as he looks at his red-headed cousin. "...I'll believe in you."

'You sure have a way about things, Nova' I thought while walking behind him. As I passed Felicità, I said, "He has a point, dear cousin."

I quickened my pace to match Nova's as we walked side-by-side. I side-glanced at him and noticed he was doing the same. He noticed me looking at him and turned away, a faint pink reaching his cheeks. I smile a bit before looking up at the sky. "Nova, I...

...I heard about your parents."

He stopped and turned to look at me once more.

"You... From who?" he asks me. I turn to face him. "Papa, of course..." I step closer.

"I...can help you, Nova."

"Wha- How? They've been put into eternal slumber by my Arcana powers... I doubt there's anything you could do..." he trails off. I put a hand on his shoulder and my other on his cheek, turning his face to look at me. "I can help you...with my Arcana powers."

"Your...Arcana powers?"

"I have a contract with the first card, _Il Mago: the Magician_. It gives me the ability to make one's desires become a reality, be it pure of heart or selfish greed," I tell him. He stays quiet for a moment, probably thinking about what to do. After a while, he shakes his head and takes my hands off his shoulder and face, but didn't let go as he puts them down.

"I want...I want to undo what I've down with my own strength," he tells me with determination.

I smile at this and nod in understanding.

"As you wish."

* * *

 _ **What is your Tarocco?**_

* * *

 **What a day! The power went out for like 30 minutes earlier. It was soooo hot, I literally felt like I was dying. I went downstairs and my mom woke up from her sleeping, complaining how hot it was. Anyway, Arianna doesn't seem to have many parts, but I'm sure there'll be more chances for her further into the story. And I'm sorry Ash lovers, but I want her to have the Magician QQQQQ**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~**

 **P.S check out the Western dress Arianna wears on her character page! It's the last picture under appearance. Well?**

 _ **Enjoy your stay at Regalo Island.**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	3. III

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Having fun in Regalo?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Here's another chapter! I'll upload the other chapters for the other fanfics during the next few days ~**

 **R &R Read On!**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters and sfx, italics represent past events, memories, emphasis and foreign language, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **III : Piccolino**

* * *

 ***kachink*creak***

The door opens slowly to reveal the youngest of Felicità's three maids.

"Mariella and Donatella are so mean. I know that I'm the one who forgot to check if all the doors were locked, but they could have come with me- Ah!" she stopped mid-rant as she heard a sound come from the kitchen.

"Who's there? Is someone there?" she called out. Stepping away from the door to the hallway, she walks towards the kitchen doors.

 ***scratch*scratch***

Isabella gasps and steps back, gulping. Mustering whatever courage she had in her, she continued towards the doors. Putting her hand on the doorknob, she inhales, closes her eyes and opens the door.

"Show yourself, intruder-! ***gasp*** "

 _"KYAAAAAAAA!"_

* * *

 _ **The Next Morning**_

"A ghost in the kitchen?" I ask.

"How ridiculous. I'm sure she was just tired and was seeing things," Nova says.

"But Isabella said she saw one," Felicità insists. "She said she had long hair and was wearing a white dress."

"She only thought that because she was scared. If she would regularly train her mental state so little things wouldn't scare her..."

"So you say. I bet you're just scared, aren't you?" Libertà teases. "Libertà," I say his name whilst glancing at him as I stood beside Nova. "I'm not scared."

"Really now? Wanna bet?"

 _Boys..._

* * *

"It's not showing up..." Libertà mutters.

"Shut up," Nova tells him.

We were at the entrance to the hallway. Libertà and I were crouching down while Felicità and Nova were standing. That is... until Felicità crouched down with us, leaning onto Libertà. I glance at the two and notice Libertà turn a bright pink. 'Pervert...'

"Agh!" he jumps up. "Eh?"

"Ssh!"

"Ah," he blurts out. "What's the matter?!" Felicità asks him. "Oh, uh, it's nothing..." he tells her, accidentally touching her breasts.

One _shocked_ Nova.

One _flustered_ Arianna.

One _dead_ Libertà.

And one _pissed off_ Felicità.

Way to start off the day, _really._

Felictà starts throwing kicks at Libertà as he dodges them. "It's a misunderstanding! I didn't mean- hah... Wh-White?" She takes out her knives as he backs into a wall(?). "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to look!" His apologies remain futile as she kicks him and the door down. "Ow.."

Nova walks towards them, leaving me to look at the two who were standing at the door. "Hm? What's wrong?" I ask as I walk up to them. Looking into the room, I see...

...a white doll?

" _AAAHHHHHH!_ " I cringe as they scream next to me.

That's when Luca showed up.

* * *

"A Pace repellent?" we ask as he pours us tea. "Yes, however I didn't mean to scare everyone."

"So _this_ is the ghost's true identity. How ridiculous," Nova says. "Even so, you did tag along," I tell him. He glared at me in return.

"I wanted it to look real, so I also used some alchemy. I didn't expect you to be so surprised," Luca says.

"But why is there a Pace repellent? Though, I guess it's pretty obvious," Libertà says. "Yes. I still haven't overcome the fear I felt that day..." Luca trails off into memory.

 _Luca was making some baked goods when..._

 _"Give them to me..."_

 _Turning around, he asks, "Who's there?"_

 _"_ Dolce...Dolce... _"_

 _"Pace?" he asks while looking at his friend. "I want to eat...Hand 'em over..._ Dolce...! _"_

 _"AAHHHH!"_

"So a sleepwalking Pace at all of the _dolce?_ " Libertà asks while laughing.

"It's no laughing matter! Thanks to him, I was awake all night. So, I set up that trap so he can't bother me this time," Luca explains."If that's the case, you should have told us prior. How troublesome," Nova says. "That's right, Luca. Just think of poor Isabella," I scold him.

"I'm very sorry, Arianna-sama."

"But, Luca, what are you going to do with all these sweets you've made?" Felicità asks. "Now that you mention it..." I trail off, curiously waiting for Luca to answer the question.

"I'm taking them to the _piccolino_."

" _Piccolino?_ " we both ask.

"Oh, that's right. Milady and Arianna-sama have yet to know about it. The _piccolino_ is an event for children that the family holds," he explains. "We invite all the kids from Regalo and entertain them. We put on shows and play _calcio._ It's a lot of fun!" Libertà adds. "Oh yeah! You should come, too, _Ojou! Hime!_ It's the day after tomorrow. You will, won't you?" he asks us.

"Mm," she nods then looks to me. "How about you, Arianna?"

"A-Ah, sorry. I promised Mama I'd do something that day," I say with an apologetic smile. We then look to Nova, "Oh... How about you Nova? You're going, too, right?"

"He skips out every time," Libertà tells us while pointing at him.

"I'm busy," Nova retorts.

"So you say. But the truth is that you, yourself, are _short_ and _can't handle kids_ , right?" he teases. Nova doesn't reply to his antics. "So, _Ojou._ It'll be the day after tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Hmph," I heard from Nova. I look at him once more. 'Is he really that bad with kids?' I wonder.

* * *

 _ **Piccolino at the Church**_

"And now, if I can have everyone's attention. What I'm about to show you is the most secretive of secret techniques!" Luca says as he claps his hands together in concentration. "Hoh..." Libertà blurts out as he leans forward a bit.

"A dove will now appear." The top of his hat opened as a dove came out of it. "Amazing!" Libertà shouts as he stands up to applaud, but...

No one else was amused.

"Uh... Huh?"

"Alright, time to change players," Debito says as he pushes Luca off the "stage". "No one's impressed with doves anymore, Luca-chan."

"What?!" Libertà and Luca blurt out.

"Let's try something different, shall we? Having fun is all about the excitement and thrill. Do you want to hear a scary story?"

"All right! Debito's the best!" "Eh? But it's scary!"

"Actually, the scary moon demon, _Diavolo_ , lives here on Regalo. It all happened one stormy night. An orphaned child came to this church in search of help. It was there, that the child met _Diavolo_. But the child, being a child, didn't really think that he was a demon. How unfortunate. The child's soul was severed in two. One half became the demon's minion, _Belzebu_ , who resides in the darkness, hiding."

"What about the other half?" a little girl asks.

"The other half wasn't able to go to Heaven or Hell. It's said that the ghost still haunts this church, looking for someone to play with. Speaking of which, it's right over there!" he yells as Fukulota flies through the church, adding effect to his "scary story".

" _AHH!_ " the kids freaked out as Debito laughed at the reaction. "Hey, now, don't freak out too much. Fukulota, your timing was more than impeccable."

"It seems it was a little too intense, huh?" he says as he walks up to the girl who asked about the other half. He bends down and pats her head, "Hey, now, don't look so sad. You'll ruin your beautiful face."

"Heh...So Debito likes children," Felicità says. "A bit unexpected."

"Despite how he comes off as, he's good at taking care of others," Pace tells her. "Indeed. He has always been nicer to younger kids," Luca adds.

"Have you two known Debito for a while?" Felicità asks them.

"Yeah, the three of us are childhood friends. We often played in this church, too." "How nostalgic."

 _A young Luca looks around while walking down the aisle._ _ ***grrrrowl***_ _As he heard that, he immediately walks towards where it came from. "You can't hide a sound that comes from your stomach, Pace."_

 _"Man.." he pouts in return to being caught. "Where's Debito?" he asks. "I still haven't found him," Luca tells him._

 _"If there's one thing he's good at, it's hiding."_

 _The two walk off in separate directions to look for their friend. Luca walks towards the altar, finding something behind the podium. "Pace," he calls out. Pace turns around to see Luca gesturing him to come over. Luca bends, hands on his knees as he looks at what he found. As soon as Pace comes over, he says, "Ah! We found Debito!" "Ssh!"_

 _A sleeping Debito was found, hiding under the podium._

"The look on Debito's face as he was sleeping was like that of an angel," Luca comments. "Even now, I'm still an angel of love, right? _Bambina?_ " Debito asks the girl as he somehow appeared behind them. "Just when did he become into such a terrible adult," Luca cries.

"Hah? You want to tell me exactly what's so terrible about me?"

"Now, now. Adults don't fight-"

 ***grrrrrowl***

"Ehehehe...Luca-chan, could you please?" Pace asks.

* * *

"Thank you for the food!"

"Those idiots are on the same level as the kids," Debito comments as Pace and "the fool" pig out with the kids.

"Milady, the dessert for today is _baci di dama_. It means "kiss from a lady," Luca says as he serves us. "It looks delicious!" Felicità says as she looks at the dessert.

"Kiss from a lady, huh? I'd say a kiss from _Bambina_ is much sweeter."

"Debito, step away from her!" Luca yells at him. "And stop trying to seduce Milady!"

"Seduce? This is just a greeting."

" _Your_ greetings are improper," Luca tells him. "And yet you call yourself a man of Regalo?!" Debito yells back. The two continue to argue behind Felicità as she continues to eat her share of the food.

"You're too stiff, you stuffed shirt! You're not a kid so shut your mouth!"

After they finished their little dispute...

"Now then, since we're done eating, I guess it's time for this," Debito says while holding up a ball.

"All right!" "It's time for _calcio!_ "

Pace ran past the kids, ball at his feet. "Out of the way, out of the way!" Debito stops him. "Why the hell are you being so serious playing against children?"

"Naive!" Pace blurts out, kicking the ball up and past Debito. "Tch. You better stop him, Libertà!"

"Got it!"

"You think you can stop me, Regalo's _mangostano?!_ " He kicks the ball. _Hard._

"Milady-" the ball hits Luca square in the face, surprising me as he was about to serve us more tea.

"Whoops." "Jackpot, huh, Luca-chan?"

"Are you trying to kill me, Pace?!" Luca yells at him, recovering from the hit. "Sorry, sorry," he apologizes. "What do you mean "sorry"?! What if that shot had hit Milady or the children?! Not to mention that the _piccolino_ is an event to entertain the children! The adults' entertainment comes after that!" Luca continues to scold him.

"You okay, _Ojou?_ " Libertà asks as he walks up to her. "Mhm," she replies. Suddenly, a breeze came by.

"The wind..."

"Hm? What about the wind?" she ask him. "Oh, no. It's nothing."

"Oi! Let's hurry up and continue the game!" a kid calls out to him. "Yeah, I'll be right there!" Libertà calls back and leaves.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...Back at the Mansion**_

I remained in Nova's office to keep him company. Not that he needed it. I was quiet the entire time to let him focus on his work. The window started to shake a bit as the wind became a bit harsher.

'A storm...' I trail off in thought as I stared outside the window. Nova, who had stopped writing to look at the window as well, muttered "How stupid" before going back to work, causing me to look at him.

 ***knock*knock*knock***

"May I come in?" I look towards the door as it opened.

"Mama."

We sat at the table as Mama served us green tea. "I came here to scold you today."

Nova looks at her as she continues, "You didn't go to the _piccolino_ again."

"I have work I need to do," he tells her. I quietly take the cup of tea, stirring it a bit before drinking. "Hm?" I hear Mama hum.

Looking away, Nova says, "I don't know how to interact with children." This made me set my cup back down onto the table. "To think of nothing and just have fun with them. It's easier said than done for me," he clenches his fist. Mama notices and takes his hand in hers.

"Nova."

* * *

Nova had been playing the piano as the storm began to become stronger. 'I hope they're alright...' He stopped as the thunder roared more loudly than the last one.

"Why don't you go?" Mama asks. I turn my head to look at them from where I sat. "You're worried about the children at the church, aren't you? It's written all over your face." He looks away again. "The three higher-ups, Luca and that idiot are all there with them. I'm not worried..."

"You really are kind. Nova, kindness is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But it is a form of weakness."

I remain silent, watching them at a distance. Mama walks behind him and places a hand on his shoulder. "You're wrong. To be kind. To be weak. They both hold great power. And yet you have confined that within a hard armor... But, we are the reason that happened." I sat up from where I stood and walked towards them.

"Mama, that kind of talk..."

"The responsibility that I and Mondo have for taking away your precious childhood is rather heavy. However, let me say this despite knowing that. As long as you wear that armor, you won't be able to grow any more than this. You should relax more, Nova. Stop being scared of hurting others or being hurt, yourself. That may be the hardest thing for you, but, you see...I want you to enjoy your life." She takes her hand away from his shoulder as he turns to look at us, as I had been standing beside Mama the entire time she lectured him.

"The way your heart desires..."

As soon as she says that, Nova runs out of the room.

I take a few steps towards the open door, staring at his retreating figure. "It was that hard on him?" I ask her. She nods, walking towards me and giving me a back-hug. "I'm afraid so..."

Turning me around, she takes hold of my shoulders. "Arianna, I have a favor to ask of you."

* * *

 _ **What is your Tarocco?**_

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER! Just what did Mama ask of Arianna?! Will we ever know?! Heck, I don't even know! Anyway, I got my net back, so I upload dis chapter along with some other shtuff. P.S the order of Arianna's kimono's being worn starts with red, then green, then blue until she finally wears her "uniform" or "suit" or whatever.**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~** **Well?**

 _ **Enjoy your stay at Regalo Island.**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	4. IV

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Having fun in** **Regalo?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Here's another chapter! I'll try to fit in Kousuke somewhere...somehow.**

 **R &R ~ Read On!**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters and sfx, italics represent past events, memories, emphasis and foreign language, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **IV : Libert** **à**

* * *

 _"That's Regalo Island."_

 _A young Libertà sat atop Dante's shoulders. (_ _ **A/N: please, what's more surprising is that head of hair**_ _) "Wow, that's awesome!"_

 _"Starting today, you're part of the Arcana Famiglia," Dante tells the young lad. "Yeah! And once I'm in the family, I'm gonna be as strong as you, Dante!"_

 _"Ahaha, that won't be easy."_

 _"I can do it! I'm gonna become strong, no matter what!"_

* * *

"Oh!" Dante blurts out as he catches yet another fish. Libertà looks at Dante's bucket, then at his own. "Man, why are they all going to you, Dante?"

"Even the fish know who's stronger," he jokes. "That's why they keep floundering my way...because they're fish. Just kidding!"

...A horrible pun has been made, yet again.

"So? How have you been since?" Dante asks Libertà. "Since what?"

"You said you had a headache," he reminds him. "Oh, that. I don't know what it was, but after I slept, it got better," Libertà tells his guardian while yawning. "I haven't gotten another one since then."

"That's good to hear, but don't push yourself too hard. Looking after your health is very-"

"I know!"

"Hey, Libertà!" someone calls out from the end of the pier. "The lady is here!" "Okay, I'll be right there!" he calls back, picking up his bucket and running off. "I'll rest when I need to rest. Okay?"

* * *

 _ **In the Middle of Town**_

"Ms. Jovanna, huh?"

"Yes, she's a longtime friend of Mama and Aunt Monica," Felicità tells him as they continue to walk through town.

 _"Jovanna gave me a lovely brooch, and she recently sent Monica a beautiful, jeweled hairpiece. So, I'd like you to give her this scarf we got for her. Would you, Felicità?"_

"But I've never met her," she says.

"I think I've seen her two or three times," Libertà says. "Mama has exquisite taste, and Monica-sama loves art, so I'm sure Ms. Jovanna will like it. Still..." he trails off, looking at what seemed to be a drawn map. "What the hell is up with this map? If we keep taking all of these detours, the sun will go down."

"Arianna had to do something with Kousuke, so she told me to send Ms. Jovanna her regards. Nova said he was busy, so he drew that for us, but..." "There's a faster way to get there," Libertà says. "Eh?"

Libertà pointed up, making Felicità look up to...the sky.

* * *

"Come on, _Ojou._ Hurry up!" he pesters. The two were now on the rooftops. "O-Okay."

As she walks towards him, he stretches his arms, feeling the breeze. "This feels great!"

"You're right, and it's such a great view," she agrees with him. "It's the best when you can see both the city and the ocean. But being on the ocean is the best by far."

"Hm? The ocean?" she asks.

"Sailing across the ocean feels amazing. When you're gazing at the endless ocean, nothing else matters. There are no troubles or boundaries. You feel like you're finally free," he tells her. "Well, I got half of that from Dante."

Felicità laughs a bit. "The two of you get along so well. You're like father and son."

"Well, we've known each other for a long time. I don't have to on airs around him," he says. "How long have you known each other?" she asks. "Hm? I'm not really sure... Now that I think about it, I don't really remember. Why is that?" Libertà wonders. Felicità just looks at him.

"Whoops, we shouldn't be dawdling up here. Let's go, _Ojou_ ," he says while holding out his hand. Taking, she says "Okay" and he begins to walk off deep in thought.

'Am I forgetting something important?' he thought to himself. "Libertà, in front of you!" "Huh?" Looking down, he sees...

"Huh?! Ahhhh!" "Ahhhh!" The two scream as they fall off the roof, crashing through the roof of a stall. Everyone in the area turns to the commotion.

"Are you okay, _Ojou?_ " he asks her. "Yes, I think so." Felicità's face was close to his own, causing him to become flustered and say, "Ah, s-sorry! It's my fault for not paying attention!"

"Oh, it's alright," she tells him.

"It's not fine at all."

The turn to see an angry stall vendor, glaring down at them.

* * *

After fixing his shop, the two offer to help the man sell his goods as an apology for almost ruining his stall.

"Hey there, _signorina!_ We've got tons of great things here!" he shouts then looks to Felicità. "Come on, _Ojou!_ Speak up! No one will come if you just stand there quietly!"

"Huh? Okay... Welcome-" she began stiffly before being cut off by Libertà. "With a smile, come on!"

Getting the point, she shouts out with a smile. "Welcome!"

The two gathered many customers, selling and bargaining various products for the vendor. As the two were helping out, they failed to notice Nova pass by on his daily patrol, and Arianna, who tagged along. ( **A/N: She's wearing her uniform; the first uniform pic in her character page is her upper garment and the second is the skirt, stockings and boots** )

"What in the world are they doing?" Nova asks no one in particular. Arianna, who was walking beside him, looks to what he was referring to and smiles a bit. "It seems they're helping out." Leaving it at that, they walk away and continue their patrol.

"Thank you very much!" Felicità bids the customer farewell. Libertà hauled a box and leaned on it, exhausted from the various customers. "We really don't have the time to be doing this..."

"Pardon me, can I get this flower?"

Turning around, a smile now etched onto his face, he replies, "Yes, ma'am- eh..." He looks at the woman then says, "Ah, Ms. Jovanna!"

"Eh?" Felicità blurts out as she turns around. Jovanna, now looking at the surprised girl, says, "Yes?"

* * *

 _ **Afternoon**_

"Hah, we're finally done."

"I'm so tired. Sorry, _Ojou._ It's my fault we got into this weird mess," he apologizes. "No, it's fine. We were able to give Ms. Jovanna the scarf, after all."

"Ah. I guess if we'd gone to her house, she wouldn't have been there," he agrees. "Though it was only a coincidence, I'm glad we met her," Felicità says happily.

"Maybe it's part of your powers, _Ojou._ "

"Eh?" she blurts out.

"I can't really describe it, but things seem to fall perfectly into place," he tells her. "Do you think so?" she asks. "Yeah, I do. That has to be it. It's all thanks to you, _Ojou,_ " he grins.

"Thanks to you two, my sales have doubled!" the vendor says happily as we walks up to them. "As a token of my appreciation, you can take whatever you like."

Felicità looks around as she notices Libertà looking at something. Walking up to him, she asks, "Masks?"

"Yeah, I like them. I grew up in an orphanage when I was younger. That's where I met a huge masked man. I don't really remember it well, but he's the one who took me out of the orphanage. He was really cool," he tells her. "So you've liked them since?"

"Yeah. When I'm looking at masks, I feel like I can be strong and cool like that guy-" he stopped mid-sentence as his eyes caught one mask in particular. "Hm? What's the matter?" she asks confused. Libertà picks up the mask and stares at it intently. "Where have I seen this mask before..."

"Oh! You found a rare one!" the vendor says as his eyes catch the mask Libertà was holding.

"Is it expensive?" Felicità asks him.

"Yeah, it's from the country of Nord. Apparently, a long time ago, there was an orphanage that did terrible things to children. There's a tale that a hero wearing that mask saved the children," he tells her.

Libertà's eyes widen at the vendor's explanation.

* * *

 _ **Back at the Mansion**_

Libertà ran into one of the living rooms, the one Jolly and Dante usually stay in, and yelled "Dante!" upon entry.

"Hey! At least knock," said man scolds him. "Ah, sorry. But take a look at this! I really wanted you to see it, too!" Libertà says as Felicità walks into the room.

"Isn't it cool?" he asks, holding up the mask for Dante to see. However, Libertà failed to notice Dante's eyes slightly widen upon seeing the mask. "I told you about when I was the orphanage, and that a masked guy came to save me, right? You think this might be the same mask?"

Dante, practically frantic on the inside, ignored it and looked back at his paperwork. "Aw, what the heck? I thought you'd like it..." Burning out his cigarette, Dante says, "There was a report from Nova and Arianna."

"Eh?"

"I heard you fell from a roof. How dare you put the lady in danger like that?"

"Th-That was...It's all because of that stupid map Nova drew-"

"Enough. Don't put the blame on others. At this rate, you'll always be a child. Put more effort into refining yourself and becoming stronger," Dante lectures him. Gritting his teeth, Libertà runs out of the room with a shadow cast over his eyes. Jolly and Felicità watch him as he leaves.

"Good grief. Such beautiful love between the teacher and student," Jolly comments.

" _Jolly._ I'm terribly sorry you had to see that, Milady," Dante apologizes to her. Felicità, confused at the current situation, bows slightly before taking her leave.

Before she left, her Arcana powers activated. She sees a young Libertà standing over rubble, small fires in different places. Felicità gasps and looks back at Dante.

"Hm? Is there still something you need?" he asks. Her eyes still wide, she shakes her head "No" and runs off.

"It seems she saw into your heart," Jolly states. "Impossible," Dante retorts.

"Milady is still growing."

* * *

 _ **In Felicità's Room the Next Day**_

"The strawberry and custard cream is delicious!" Donatella says as she ties one side of her mistress's hair.

"You should definitely try it when you have a chance, milady," Isabella tells her.

Felicità simply nods, seemingly depressed from yesterday's sudden discovery. Worried, the eldest, Mariella, asks, "Is something the matter, milady?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing... I'm sorry for making you worried."

"We're always here for you, milady!" Isabella tells her.

"It may be hard in a world full of men..." Donatella begins.

"But we're here if you need to talk, all right?" Mariella finishes.

"Ah... thanks."

* * *

 _ **At Nova's Office (A/N: Because I don't wanna do the fight scene for some reason)**_

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I know about Libertà and Dante's past," Nova tells Felicità, arm propped up onto his desk as he leans on it. "I see..."

"Even if I did know, that's between the two of them. It's not our place to interfere," he adds. "I know that, but..."

 ***knock*knock*knock*kachink***

"Nova, it's time for us to patrol," Arianna informs him as she walks into the office. 'Hm? Felicità?' she wonders. "Alright. I'll be right there," he says while getting up from his chair. He walks past Felicità and towards the door, Arianna trailing behind him. The two stop at the door as he says, "If you're that concerned, you should ask him yourself."

Arianna walks out of the room as Nova closes the door behind them.

* * *

We walked down the hallway in silence, but curiosity got the best of me.

"What was that about, Nova?" I ask.

"Ah...Felicità asked me about Libertà and Dante's past." Hm? Libertà and Dante's past... "How come?"

"I'm not sure. She tell me why, but she seemed very concerned about it..." he trailed off. I felt a small smirk appear on my face as I bring my face closer to his, causing him to jump back a bit.

"W-What?" "...Are you worried?" I ask. He pouts a bit before turning away, "Why would I be worried? And for what reason?"

"Well, I know for a fact that you truly care about those two. And that Felicità was your fiancée," I say, moving away from him. He looks at me in disbelief before we continue walking again. "Yeah, _was._ I called it off," he tells me.

"...Why did you?"

Silence.

I looked at him, waiting for him to answer. 'I have a feeling I know what he's going to say...'

He sighed before looking at me, a slight pink on face. "Hm?"

"...You already know why."

I knew it.

* * *

 _ **Evening**_

Felicità was waiting at the fountain. She had sent a message to Dante with the help of Fukulota. Footsteps could be heard as she turned to see Dante with Fukulota perched onto his shoulder.

"It appears I've underestimated your powers, Milady."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to read your heart. But I was worried about Libertà and wanted to do whatever I could to help..." she explains.

"Thank you, Milady."

* * *

A shadow casts over Libertà's eyes as he leans on the bridge. "What the hell..."

"Oh? Well, if isn't Libertà." Luca says. "Huh?"

"What the hell is with the long face?" Debito asks. Pace grabs Debito and Luca's shoulder and says, "Perfect timing. You should come with us, Libertà."

They took him to L'Osteria.

"Thank you for the meal~" Pace says and begins to pig out on the food. Right after, he finishes his serving and calls for seconds.

"Come on, now. If you don't hurry up and eat, Pace's gonna eat it all, brat," Debito tells Libertà. "I'm gonna eat, and I'm not a brat!" he retorts and bites into a slice of pizza.

"You should eat a lot and feel better soon," Luca says.

"I'm fine to being with."

"That's good if that's the case. You do know what will happen if Milady happened to become sad looking at your dreary face, right?" Luca threatens, a dark cloud appearing over his head.

"Seconds, please!"

"F-Fire! There's a fire!" a man yells as he bursts through the door.

* * *

 _ **Timeskip to when they return to the mansion because the scene during the fire is hard to explain *cries***_

As Felicità turns around the corner, she runs into Libertà.

"Ah, _Ojou._ I wanted to see you. I remember now, about the time I met the masked man. But bits and pieces are still blurry. So I have a request...

Just this once, could you read my heart?"

Felicità becomes troubled upon his request. She had already promised to Dante that she wouldn't tell him anything about his past. "You might be able to see the parts that I can't remember."

"But..."

"Please!" he begs, even bowing his head to show how much he wants her to do it for him.

"I can't..." she tells him. Libertà grits his teeth and runs back down the hallway. From the other corridor, Nova and Arianna notice Felicità standing in the middle of the intersection. "Felicità?"

"I wonder why...we even have these Arcana powers," she says. Nova glances to the side while Arianna merely narrows her eyes, for she felt the same way.

Why do they even have these powers... when some of them never wanted them in the first place?

* * *

"Nova...what are we _doing?_ " I ask him as we continue to wander outside. He remains quiet, as he did the past few minutes. I pout, annoyed that he won't answer me.

After a while, still basking in silence as we walked, we came across Libertà who was lying on the ground, a mask on the floor beside him. It seems he hasn't noticed Nova and I come closer. Then...

...Nova kicked him in the side.

" _Ow!_ What the hell, Chickpea?!" "Chick...pea?" I ask, a sweatdrop forming on my head.

"Well, at least you're well enough to call people names," Nova says, ignoring the insult. "I'm always fine!"

"Is that so? That's fine, but... Felicità was worried sick, you know." Libertà didn't respond, causing me to frown at him. 'He's going to pay later for making my cousin upset...'

"Weren't you going to become stronger for Felicità's sake?" he asks. "Hoh?" I mutter, taking out my fan to hide my face a bit.

"So become stronger. Then no one will have anything to complain about," Nova tells him, Libertà now looking up at us.

"The hell is that, a hit-and-run?" Libertà mutters as Nova walks back into the mansion. I linger for a bit, looking at Nova's retreating figure before looking back at Libertà.

"Libertà."

He turns to look at me, waiting for me to continue speaking. "...I'm sure you can do it. Just believe in yourself," I tell him, giving him a gentle smile. " _Hime..._ "

"And I'm sure that Dante believes in you, as well. Despite all the things he says, he cares for you, Libertà. He just wants you to become stronger. And that's just what you're going to do, right?" I ask him, turning to walk away.

That's right. Just believe in yourself...because one day, you'll achieve the goal you've worked so hard for. So this time, why don't you listen to your own advice...

right, Nova?

* * *

 _ **What is your Tarocco?**_

* * *

 **I'm so bad. But I was tired while writing this, and the Know Your Allies chapter I wrote write after was even more tiring. And longer. And it's 2:25 AM now qqqq I didn't even get much sleep yesterday. I'M GONNA SLEEP AFTER I UPDATE THE OTHER ONE.**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Enjoy your stay at Regalo Island.**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	5. V

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Having fun in Regalo?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Kousuke will speak! Enjoy the chapter, I'll be working on Know Your Allies and this one, and a little bit of Gitsune Clan. The others I'll put off for next month.**

 **R &R ~ Read On!**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters and sfx, italics represent past events, memories, emphasis and foreign language, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **V : Cousins**

* * *

"Ah, it's irresistible!"

"You're not likely to find something this delicious anywhere else in the world."

"It's Regalo's treasure."

"Yes, indeed."

The three of us, meaning Luca, Fel, and I, walk into the dining room from the kitchen, Luca pushing a cart along the way. "Sorry about the wait, everyone," he says as he removes the cover of the food platter.

"Limone pie!" Pace shoots up from his seat, happy to see said dessert. Not only Pace, but everyone else was happy, as well. I giggled a bit as I stood beside Fel. "So delicious that it holds its own against those sold in shops," Dante states.

"Milady and Arianna-sama helped out today, as well," Luca tells them. "Please make sure you enjoy every bite."

"Thank you for the food!"

" _It's so good~_ " Pace comments, his face stuffed with pie. I looked and him and chuckled, "Pace, there's pie on your face," I tell him, wiping his face with a napkin. "Ah, thank you, _Hime._ "

"Hey, Luca, what's with the small serving?" Debito asks. "He has a point," Nova agrees.

Pace gets up from his seat and bites on the plate, "Yeah! I wanna eat more!" "Ah, jeez. That's why I asked you to fully enjoy every bite!" Luca says.

I notice Felicità looking at Libertà, and it seems that Nova noticed as well. ( **A/N: Fel sits to his left, Aria to his right and left of Pace** ) He notices as well and gets up from his seat to leave. 'Libertà...'

"My apologies, Milady, Kousuke, but could you help me for a moment?" Fel gets up from her seat to help Luca. I look at Kousuke and give him a nod that meant "Please go help him". He nods at me and gets up from his seat to help Luca, as well. As they leave the table, I notice Nova get up from his seat to follow Libertà. Or at least that's what I assumed he was doing.

* * *

I was walking down the hallway with Kousuke and noticed Felicità carrying some boxes. "Kousuke, I thought you were going to help her?" I ask him, pouting that he didn't help a lady in need. "I did offer to help, but she said she could handle it. Felicità-sama is a stubborn one, after all," he tells me.

We walk towards her when I notice Nova come from the other corridor.

"You can't see where you're going with that, can you?" he deadpans.

"He's right, Fel. You should be careful with those," I tell her.

"Ah, Nova, Arianna and Kousuke," she says, looking at every one of us. "What's in the boxes?" he asks. "It's Limone pie," I tell him, walking stand at Fel's side. Kousuke followed and said, "Mama and everyone else said they'd like to eat some, as well. So, Felicità-sama decided to take it to them."

"Where's Luca?"

"Well, that's..."

Nova sighs as Kousuke tells him what Luca was doing. "I thought I could at least deliver them since he was busy," she says. Nova takes four of the seven boxes into his hands and turns around. "Nova?"

"Hoh," I mutter, putting a hand to my face to hide my smirk.

"If you were to fall, you'd ruin the pies," he tells her. "Thank you."

I turn to Kousuke, only to see that he was no longer there. "...At least tell me you're leaving, idiot..." I mutter.

"Arianna, are you coming?" I hear Fel call out to me. I turn back to her a bit surprised, "A-Ah, yeah!"

* * *

"Sitting here eating limone pie like this reminds me of when the three of you were little."

We sat down to eat some of the pie we brought to Mama since she offered so kindly. "Um, Mama... Could you not bring up the past..." Nova asks her. "Oh, there's no need to be embarrassed."

"I remember, too."

We turned to Felicità as she continues, "I remember the first day you came to our house, Nova. It was the second time Arianna was visiting us from Japan, as well." I feel my face heat up a bit as we talk about it.

 _"What's the matter, Nova? Come over here," Papa Mondo tells a young Nova. "Yes, sir..." he replies quietly._

 _Mama Sumire walks up to him, taking his hand into hers and says, "We're going to be a family now, so there's no need to hold back."_

 _"A family?" he asks._

 _"Hm?" I hum. I sat in the gazebo with Papa Mondo, dozing off a bit._

 _"Sorry to keep you waiting." I jump up a bit as I heard Luca. Papa Mondo chuckled at my reaction, causing me to puff up my cheeks._

 _"Here is the limone pie that Milady made." They walk up to the gazebo to place the pie and plates onto the table. "You made it for the first time with Luca for Nova, right?" Mama Sumire asks Fel. "Yes!" Papa Mondo suddenly becomes depressed, so I turn to look at him, poking his cheek._

 _"Papa Mondo, what's wrong?" I ask._

 _"He gets to eat Felicità's cooking before me?"_

 _"Oh, don't be so sad. Nova is her future husband, after all," Mama Sumire tells him._

 _"Luca, where's Kou-chan?" I ask him. "Kousuke is running an errand, Arianna-sama. He will return by nightfall."_

 _"Oh... Okay! Luca, can I help you make something next time?" "Why, of course," he smiles at me._

 _"Here!" I hear Fel say. I turn to see her giving a piece of pie to Nova. I run up to her, almost tripping in the process, and hug her from the side. "Eh? No fair, I want Fel's pie, too!" As I said this, a serving of pie was placed in front of my face. I look up to see Luca. "Here you are, Arianna-sama. Fel cut a second piece just for you."_

 _I smile happily, taking the pie and giving Fel a kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Fel~"_

 _I run back to my seat and eat the pie happily. Papa Mondo pats my head, "Haha! You're so lively, Arianna!"_

 _Nova finally takes his serving of the pie, cutting a piece and eating it. "It's delicious!" "I'm so glad!"_

 _"Now, you have a seat, too, Felicità. Let's all eat together," Mama Sumire says. Nova sits in the seat to my left, with Fel sitting in the sit to his left. He looks at her, then quickly turns away as she looked back. Then, he looks at me, face a bit pink. I look back at him. "Hm?" I hum as I take another bite, not noticing the pie that was left on the corner of my mouth. He quickly turns away again, taking another bite of his share awkwardly._

 _"My, Aria. You've gotten pie on your face." I look up to see Mama Sumire leaning over the table, a napkin in her hand. She wipes my face clean as I giggle at the touch. "Hehe, thank you, Mama Sumire!"_

 _"Oh my," she says as she notices pie sticking to Nova and Fel's faces. I turn to look at them as Mama Sumire wipes Nova's face, then moving to wipe Fel's face._

"That was the first time I felt the warm feeling of being in a family," Nova says. 'Nova...' I thought while looking at him sadly. Mama catches me looking at him and whispers my name. ( **A/N: the way they sat at the table is Fel, Arianna, Nova and Mama from left to right, cos the table is round** ) I look to her as she shakes her head as if saying _'There's no need for that.'_ I hesitated a bit before nodding in return. I know that Nova had it hard, but is it bad to care for my cousins' well being? I already worry about Felicità. I also worry about Libertà.

Why is everyone around me in this state? It's almost as if...

 _...they're lost._

* * *

The three of us walked back into the hall, each of us carrying a vase of _Giapponese_ flowers. " _Giapponese_ flowers are so pretty," Felicità says.

"I sometimes ask Mama to share some of hers like this," Nova tells us. "Really?" I ask. "I had these shipped in for Mama some time back. I didn't know you liked them, as well, Nova."

"I heard from Mama that there are flowers called " _sakura_ " in _Giappone_ as well," he says. "" _Sakura"_?" Felicità asks.

"Yes," he began. "Apparently, when they are in full bloom, the areas they grown in all turn pink. I'd like to see that one day."

"Is that so..." I trail off, walking ahead a bit.

"You really like _Giappone_ , don't you?" Felicità asks him. "Th-That's because I have an interest in other countries..." I hear him say. He seemed flustered at the question. I stop walking to look at them and ask, "Do you have fertilizer for your flowers?"

"I do." "No." Nova turns to Felicità and says, "I'll show you a place that sells some after work." "Eh?" she blurts out.

"Come with us on the patrol tomorrow. You're in the upper echelon, so it'd be helpful to see the other departments. Besides, Aria will be there. She can show you which fertilizer is the best." She glances at me, so I give her a smile that said "Go on".

"Thank you, I would be honored."

* * *

"Today, our patrol will concentrate on the shopping district. Don't disregard even the smallest feeling of uneasiness, and pay attention to the conversations and actions of the people. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" they reply in unison.

"Wow..." I hear Felicità say.

We were walking through the town, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Nova walked in between me and Felicità, me being on his left. "What?" I hear him say. I turn back to them and see Felicità looking at him. "Hm?"

"Oh, it's nothing...I just thought that the two of you really are amazing. You do a great job as head of the Holy Grail and bringing your men together. And you don't expect anything less from yourself either. Arianna even juggles her share of the work and helps out both of our series."

"Of course. I've been entrusted with the task. It's my responsibility. Arianna, on the other hand, is still getting the hang of things, but is efficient and always completes her given share," he boasts. I sweatdropped a bit. 'The stuff said about me was a bit unnecessary, don't you think?'

"I need to work harder, too," I hear Felicità say a bit depressed. "Not to mention my Arcana powers haven't stabilized yet."

"Don't worry, Fel. You'll get the hang of it soon," I assure her.

"You were asking why we even have Arcana powers, weren't you?" Nova asks her. This caught my attention. "Yeah."

"At times, I don't know myself," he says. I look at him after he says that. 'Nova... Don't tell me you-' but my thoughts were cut off when Felicità bumps into someone. "Ah, I'm so sorry." The guy just pulls his cap down a bit and walks off.

"Nova, Arianna. That guy," she says. Understanding, we run after him.

"Hey," Fel calls out. We walk towards him, Felicità taking the wallet from him. "This isn't yours."

"I cannot ignore those who threaten the peace of our island," Nova states, getting into a position to draw his sword if necessary. I get into position, as well. "Depending on the situation, I will use force if need be."

"Sounds fun. Just try, little boy." A few more thugs surround us. "What's with that flimsy sword?"

"Oh, it's one of those _Giapponese_ katanas."

"Oh yeah, I hear that there's some women from _Giappone_ in the Arcana Famiglia, this girl over here is one of them," one says, pointing at me. I glare at the man. "If they're letting a _woman_ lead, the family's _doomed_." Felicità was about ready to blow her top when Nova quickly advanced, his katana to the thief's neck. "Is that all you have to say before you die?"

"Don't tell me...you're Samurai Nova?"

"I will not forgive those who insult Papa and Mama. And especially not Arianna."

"Same here," Felicità says, taking out her knives.

"I definitely won't stand for it either. Especially not when I was directly insulted. _Twice_ ," I say while taking out my katana. "We agree for once." Nova and I strike down our opponents with the blades' backsides whilst Felicità simply evaded any attacks and kicked them down. "Damn it!" one cursed, trying to run away. Before he could get away, Felicità threw her knives at him. Well, in front of him anyway. The three of us look to each other and smile.

All that's left is the wallet.

* * *

"Here is your wallet," Felicità says to the lady, giving her back the stolen wallet. "Thank you very much," she thanks us. The girls, meaning me and Felicità, returned the wallet whilst the guys stood in the alley to Isis Regalo. "I thought I'd never see it again. You're a live saver, thank you so much."

"It's our job, it's the least we can do," I tell her. I looked towards the guys to see that they were talking about something. I could make out that they were talking about Felicità since Nova looked our way.

Afterwards, we walked back home. It had gotten pretty late, we weren't able to get fertilizer for the plants either.

Or so I thought.

We walked side-by-side once more, except Felicità and I switched places, Nova still in the middle. In the midst of walking, he took out a pouch from his pocket. 'When did he get that?' "Eh?"

"Fertilizer for the flowers. We were busy dealing with the thieves, so I had one of my subordinates go buy it," he tells her. "Thank you, Nova." We continued walking, holding a conversation or two here and there.

"Hey, what was that earlier?" she asked us. "Earlier?" I ask. "You know, the thing you two did to make the thieves unconscious."

"Ah, you mean striking them with the back of the blade. It's a _Giapponese_ move that Mama instructed. Using it, no blood will be shed and Regalo will remain clean. Aria had learned to use a sword at a young age, so she's very helpful in our patrols," he says. "That's amazing," she comments. "Of course it is."

Hm~ He's embarrassed.

"You and Mama get along really well. Arianna, too. You get along with both Mama and Papa." We turned to look at her. "Mama is really nice to all the members of the family, but I think she expects great things from you."

"You don't understand anything."

"Huh?" Felicità turns around. Nova and I stopped walking. I looked at him a bit anxious about what was happening. "Nova..." I mutter.

"You have no idea how much everyone expects from you. I believe the reason Papa brought up the Arcana Duello is to make you, the family's heir, stronger." He walks off. I trailed behind him as he said, "Work hard so you can meet those expectations." As we walked pass Felicità, I tell her "Sorry" and follow him back to the mansion.

'I have to keep my promise.'

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

 _"Listen well, Nova. You must make a good impression at the meeting today. You are Arianna and Felicità's cousin. Not only that, you are the young lady's betrothed. Eventually, our family will replace Mondo and take control of Regalo." Nova looked down, as his mom held his cheek, making him look up at her._

 _"It will be all right, Nova. I'm sure they will like you. You have the qualifications and the strength."_

 _"Yes, Father. Mother."_

I woke up, sitting up in bed, a hand to my head. "Why am I having these dreams now?" ***knock*knock*knock*** "Who is it?"

"Pardon, may we have a word?"

We move to my office, Aria joining us along the way. Must've asked for her opinion, as well. He places a stack of papers and explains the situation. "Supposedly, the money is being used for 'research fees', but the amount seems rather high."

"The possibility of improper use of funds, huh," she says whilst standing opposite from where I sat. "Thank you for the report. I will figure something out. You may leave," I tell him. "Now, how am I going to figure this out?"

 ***knock*knock***

I look towards the door, standing up to answer it. " _Now_ who is it?" I opened the door to see a serious-looking Luca. "May I have a word." Complying with his request, I told Aria to look into the matter whilst I was gone, and left with Luca to the dining room.

"You are too hard on Milady. Even yesterday, Milady wanted to become closer to you, and you only pushed her away. I cannot forgive this."

"Did she say something?" I ask. "She didn't have to. How long do you think I've been her attendant?"

"I acknowledge that Fel is trying her best." "Then you should just tell her that," he says. I felt a slight blush come onto my cheeks.

"But it'd be unacceptable for her to be content with her current state. She still has more work to do," I tell him. "I understand your difficult position. For example, your engagement to Milady being voided. And your parents... But I don't think that justifies you being cold to Milady."

"That's not my intention..."

"As much as I am against this notion, I'd like you to become friendlier with Milady, just as you are with Arianna-sama," he says. More like orders. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"Milady, Arianna-sama, please come in."

I turn to the kitchen entrance to see Felicità and Aria walk in, Felcitià pushing a cart with a pot on it. 'I thought I told Aria to work...' I thought, narrowing my eyes at her a bit. She catches my glance and smiles. I could tell what she was thinking. _'Sorry but this is for both your sakes.'_

"I had Luca and Arianna show me how to cook something," Felicità says. "Since you've helped me out so much. Here you go." It was a cream soup. I hold the spoon, dipping into the soup to eat. "It's good," I comment. "Really?"

"Yeah. What kind of soup is this?" I ask.

"It's _chickpea soup_ , Nova," I hear Luca tell me from my left side. "What?!" I blurt out. I turn back to Felicità, not failing to notice Aria giggling behind her.

"Why in the world would you pick _this_ soup?"

"Luca said it was delicious and very nutritious. Arianna said so, as well," she tells me. "Make sure you eat all of Milady's cooking."

After Luca left, I ate all of the soup. With a little help from Arianna, who put her servings into a cup. "Disregarding the ingredients, it was good. I thank you." "I'm glad."

"I have a favor to ask of you," I tell her.

* * *

Felicità and Arianna walked down the stairs, remembering what Nova asked of them.

 _"Even if you're discovered, you should still be able to gather information without bringing too much suspicion on yourself," Nova tells them while giving Felicità a key. They nod in reply. "I'd like you to check for anything suspicious and things that don't belong in the lab."_

They make their way in front of a door.

 _"I don't want to doubt another family member either. So I would like you to dispel that doubt."_

Felicità looks at her cousin, Arianna nodding at her. She inserts the key, but the key doesn't turn. "Why?"

"May I ask what you're doing?" Jolly asks the two ladies. They turn to see him holding up a ring of keys. "I change the lock every now and then, you see."

He walks up to them, unlocking the door to the lab and gesturing for them to enter.

"I'm assuming the security director sent you both. Probably to expose the improper use of funds by the research lab?" Arianna was calm, but Felicità was not. "You're so easy to read," he says, placing some books in front of the two. Arianna narrows her eyes at the man as he says, "If you still have your doubts, come back as often as you like. I won't run or hide." Getting up, Felicità takes the books into her hands. "We will be taking these documents," Arianna says before they leave the lab.

"They can look at as many documents as they likes..." Jolly looks behind the curtains. "but I can't have you found just yet."

* * *

 _ **At Nova's Office**_

We were looking at the documents that Jolly oh-so-willingly handed over. "To think he already knew of my plan. That would be my fault, I apologize."

"It's fine, Nova," Aria tells me, looking at a few of the documents herself. "Since he provided these documents, it's hard to say how trustworthy they are," I tell them. Felicità picks up some documents.

"Huh? This is..." She trails off while handing me the documents.

I glare at the papers she handed me. "Why does Jolly have _this?_ " I felt Aria put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it upon touch. Somehow, it made me calm down a bit. Strange.

"Is that..."

"They're my parents' clinical charts," I tell her. "I see, your parents... But why does Jolly have them?" I get up from my chair, making Aria step back to let me pass.

"I don't know. I'd like to know that myself."

Felicità and Aria follow me as I sit on the armchair, Felicità kneeing beside the chair whilst Aria merely stood beside her. "Maybe Jolly is researching a cure or their illness."

"Illness is just a cover," Aria tells her. "Eh?"

"The truth is different," I began, using a hand to cover my face. "They've been asleep for the past several years. They're asleep because I put them to sleep with my Arcana powers. With the power of Death," I tell her, removing my hand to look at her. "I'm sure that you who grew up with the love of Mama and Papa couldn't understand."

"Nova..." I hear Arianna say quietly. Getting up from the armchair, I continue.

"My parents used me. They wanted to use my Arcana powers to take over the family. They only thought of me as a tool for moving up. Not only that, they wanted to kill Mama and Papa. I wanted to protect them, and I couldn't forgive my parents. By the time I realized what was going on, I had lost control of my powers... But this is what I wished for. I don't have any doubts that I did the right thing." I turn to the two to see Aria kneeling beside Felicità, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

"Why are you crying?" I ask taken aback.

"Because...you won't."

"You grew up being loved. I grew up as a tool to help them move up. I can't bury this gap. I thank you two for worrying about me. But leave me alone," I tell them, turning to leave my office. I heard Aria call out my name as I left.

'I'm sorry, Aria. But I need to be alone.'

* * *

"I am still weak," Nova tells Sumire. "I knew I'd have to tell her one day, but I ended up taking out my feelings on her- no, _both of them_."

"Hey, Nova. Do you remember what you gave Mondo and me the moment you voided your engagement to Felicità?" she asks. "You can come for it whenever you'd like. I believe that Felicità... No. Arianna _and_ Felicità will be there for you." Nova shakes his head.

"They won't be able to understand how I feel. And I...don't want them to."

Sumire looks at him. 'Nova...One day, you are going to have to choose. My daughter...or my niece. And Arianna will not break her promise to me.

She cares for you too much to do so.'

* * *

 _ **What is your Tarocco?**_

* * *

 **Wow, I didn't even give him that many parts. He only spoke in this and the first chappie ; w;... Oh well, I'll think of something. Let's just say that's really busy with confidential matters and is usually with Mondo.**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Enjoy your stay at Regalo Island.**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	6. VI

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Having fun in Regalo?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **I'm so sad. I haven't been able to do anything lately. Apparently, there have been earthquakes (according to the news) and sightings of a possible typhoon and various storms. SO I SHALL MAKE THE BEST OF WHENEVER I HAVE NET!**

 **R &R~ Read On!**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters and sfx, italics represent past events, memories, emphasis and foreign language, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **VI : Become Stronger**

* * *

"Nova, they'll be here. Just sit down," I tell him. Felicità, Luca and Dante are late. I wonder what this meeting's about anyway.

"They're taking too long."

 _ **Moments Later**_

Felicità, Luca and...Libertà finally made it to the meeting. "The hell are you so annoyed about? Libertà asks Nova as they sit in their seats.

"Nothing really. I just don't want to waste time," Nova says.

"Where's Dante?" I ask Libertà. "Doing something at the harbour." I hum in response as Felicità and Luca take their seats.

"Let us begin. Pirates have landed on Regalo Island," Jolly informs. "Pirates?" Pace asks.

"They have kidnapped someone of importance to Regalo and are currently on the run," he continues. "Someone of importance?" Kousuke asks.

"Yes. Mondo and Monica's older brother, Moreno." A gasp from Felicità escapes her mouth as Libertà says, "Papa and Monica-sama's older brother..." The three of us look to Nova. "You mean Nova's dad?"

"As you all know, he can't escape on his own," Jolly says. "That's right. Nova's father has been in a coma due to a severe illness... A-Ah, sorry..." Pace says, apologizing to Nova afterwards. Nova looks away. "I don't mind. It's the truth." I look at Nova worriedly and mutter his name. I put my hand over his clutched one that he kept on his lap. He looks back at me, calming a bit after my gesture.

 _"They're asleep because I put them to sleep."_

"What are they after?" Debito asks. "Who knows? I can't see a possible motive whatsoever," Jolly says. "We're going to wait for their next move. For now, you'll all be on standby."

"How can you handle this so leisurely?!" Libertà asks, abruptly getting up from his seat.

"Shut up!" Nova yells at him, causing me to wince a bit. 'That surprised me...and I'm sitting right next to him, too.'

"You are not to make a move until instructed to do so," Jolly tells us. Nova gets up from his seat and leaves the room, Libertà following him. I leave the room in suite, worried that something might happen to the two.

As I ran down the hall, I saw Libertà gripping Nova by his collar. "Why, you...stupid stubborn chickpea!" "Libertà!" I yell. "Stop calling me a chick-"

"How the hell can you be so calm when your father's been kidnapped?!" he cuts Nova off. "Step up and say you're going to save him! If it were me, I would go! If I didn't, I'd regret it for the rest of my life!"

"Libertà, knock it off!" I yell, yanking his arms off of Nova. " _Hime..._ " Nova fixes his collar, turns around and says, "Don't forget your place." Before Nova could leave, Libertà grabbed his shoulder, turned him around and held Nova by his collar, again. "You dumbass! My _place_ has nothing to do with this!" Nova simply glares at him in return. "Or are you going to say that you don't care what happens to your father?!"

"Of course not!" Nova yells, surprising Libertà a bit. He regains his composure and asks, "Then why aren't you going?!"

"Libertà-" I was cut off.

"Let's go save him."

The three of us turn to see..."Felicità," I blurt out. "You're right," Libertà says, letting go of Nova.

"If the four of us go, it should work out." "The four of us?" Nova asks. "You, _Ojou, Hime_ and me, duh," Libertà tells him. "The four of us will be able to save uncle and make it back safely," Felicità says. I smile and say, "I guess you're right about that." I notice Nova turn around. "Nova?"

"Follow me. We're going to the harbour," he says, walking off. I follow behind him, leaving the other two. "See? You _were_ worried," Libertà teases. 'Who wouldn't be worried about their own parents' I thought to myself. Felicità and Libertà catch up to us, and we make our way out of the mansion. Now...

...to keep up with this little act.

* * *

 _ **At the Harbour**_

"So you're certain that your dad is being held on that ship?" Libertà asks.

"I had the Holy Grail's coast guard look into it," Nova tells him. Felicità and Arianna look around. "Let's use that," Felicità says. The three look to where she was pointing: the rowboats.

After a while of silent rowing, they make their way to the ship, sneaking onto it and hiding behind some barrels.

"I'm not sensing anyone's presence at all," Nova says. "Perhaps they're all below deck," Arianna says. Nova and Libertà crouch back down behind the barrels.

"Let's split up and look for him," Libertà suggests.

"No. We don't know how many of them there are. It'd be unwise to split up our numbers without knowing," Nova says. "They could end up taking us hostage if we're not careful," Arianna adds.

The other two nod, and the four of them make their way below deck. They slowly creep into the hallway, quietly passing by the walls of the ship. There was a light in the room ahead of them. "Well, that's interesting," a voice said. Nova puts his hand up, signalling the other three to wait as he goes forward. "By the way, how long is the hostage in the cellar going to be asleep?" someone asks. "I hear he's been asleep for years," another tells him.

"For years? Why?"

"I heard Death's got his soul."

Nova signals back at the three, pointing downward. The four go a floor lower, heading for the cellar Moreno was kept in. As they make their way to the bottom of the stairs, a watch guard came from their side. Given their current choices, the teens could only hide behind the stairs. Nova and Arianna were crouching, Libertà hovering above them, and Felicità leaning on Libertà. She leaned onto him more, causing him to speak up.

" _O-Ojou..._ " he stutters not so quietly.

"What?" she leans onto him again, her chest pressing against his back. He reacts, causing the four of them to fall to the floor. The watch guard stops in front of the stairs, looking around before whistling.

Various pirates rush to the scene, cornering the four teenagers. Nova and Libertà unsheath their swords. "Be on your guard, _Ojou, Hime_." "Right back at you, hotshot," Arianna tells him, taking out her katana. Felicità takes out her knives from their holsters.

Pirates charge at them from all sides, each teen taking out one of four sides. However, more pirates come from the upper level. "Still so many of them?"

"Leave it to me!" Felicità says, moving forward. "Felictià, don't be reckless!" Arianna yells at her cousin. She throws a kick at one, only to be tripped in return. " _Ojou!_ "

"I-I'm fine," she says, holding her behind as she walks back to her comrades. "Nova, leave these guys to us. Hurry and find your dad!" Libertà tells him.

"That's my line."

"What?!"

"You actually think the three of you could handle this many?" Nova asks him. Irritated, Libertà moves closer to him, "What the hell?! Are you saying that you can?" Arianna's eyes widen as he says this and turns to look at Nova. "Nova, don't tell me you..." she trails off, now knowing what her cousin was going to do.

"That's right... I have the power of Death."

He moves in front of his friends, "Go!" "Nova!" Arianna yells at him. "You're in the way. Go!" he yells, the pirates moving in. "Got it! Come on, _Ojou! Hime!_ " The three of them leave Nova to take care of the pirates.

" _La Tenebrore Addormentato!_ " ( **A/N: This means "The Dark Dream" and is an ability used to put people to temporary or eternal slumber**.)

Arianna, Felicità and Libertà look back, catching glimpse of Nova's Tarocco stigmata on the nape of his neck.

" _Sleep!_ "

One by one, the pirates fall to the floor. "This is...Nova's Arcana power?" Felicità asks. Arianna runs back to Nova, steadying him as he falls to his knees. "Nova!"

"If you're going to go, hurry back. If I lose consciousness, my power will wear off, and they'll wake up," he tells them. "They'll wake up?" Felicità asks from behind her cousins. "The reason my parents are still asleep is because I lost control of my powers. Libertà! Hurry!"

"Are you going to be okay if we leave you here by yourself?" Libertà asks him. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Gripping his shoulders, Arianna says, "Idiot. Libertà, go with Felicità and find Uncle Moreno. I'll stay here with Nova."

"Aria..." Nova looks to her, Arianna returning his glance.

"There's four of us, right? If you're going to lose consciousness, I'd rather it be with one of us than alone with these pirates." Turning back to the other two, "Go!" Libertà and Felicità nod and take off for the cellar.

* * *

" _Ojou._ "

Felicità looks to Libertà as he continues, "I told you before that I would live by my sword, right?"

"Why are you bringing that up now?" she asks him. "Actually, I'm just making excuses," he tells her. "Eh?"

"Nova reminded me. If he hadn't used his Arcana powers, there's no way we would have gotten out of that situation. I guess there is a difference between not wanting to use them and not being able to use them," he says.

"Libertà, did you already forget what you told me?"

"What I told you?" he asks. "Even if you can't now, you will be able to someday! Right?" she reminds him with a smile, Libertà returning the smile. "It's odd. When you say that, I actualy feel like I will."

"Really?" she asks.

"I've also said this before, right? That you have powers, _Ojou._ You somehow make everything work out."

After their little pep talk, they continue to make their way to the cellar. From a distance, they notice a small light from the door ahead. Looking at his companion, they nod at each other and advance. Libertà opens the cellar door, and they walk in. Their eyes land on a man, tied up and unconscious in the corner of the room.

" _Ojou,_ is this the guy?" he asks.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Arianna placed Nova against the wall as she sat next to him on guard.

"Must stay conscious..." he mutters.

"Are you alright?" she asks quietly, Nova nodding in reply before gripping his katana at the sound of footsteps. Alarmed, Arianna grips onto her katana, as well, moving in front of Nova slightly. The two look to the stairs, relieved at the figures that came from the deck below.

"Father," Nova says, getting up from where he sat. "Wait, Nova-" Arianna cuts herself off to catch Nova as he falls foward. "You can't walk on your own," she tells him. "Thank you," he tells her then looks to his father, relieved.

"So, you can make a face like that, too, I see," Libertà says.

"What kind of face are you talking about?!" Nova retorts, clearly embarrassed. "N-Nova..." Arianna stutters, surprised at the sudden outburst.

"There's no way a child wouldn't care about what happens to their parent."

Afterwards, the four make their way onto the deck, Libertà carrying Moreno on his back, and the two ladies helping Nova. They stop mid-walk at the sight of...a masked man?

Putting Moreno down, Libertà stands in front of his companions. "Are you..." he trails off.

The masked man charges at Libertà, striking fast with his cutlass. "Libertà!" Felicità yells, causing Nova to look up at the scene. "Leave it to my...Power of Death!"

"You idiot!" Libertà yells at him. "Like I'd let someone as worn out as you use their Arcana powers!" "He's right, Nova! You can't possibly use your powers again!" Arianna agrees.

"But-" "Did you forget?

We came here to save your dad and make it back safely!" he yells mid-fight. After hearing this, Nova finally loses consciousness.

A knife was thrown at the masked man, which he quickly noticed and countered with his cutlass. "You've got me to deal with, too," Felicità says, leaving Arianna to care for their cousin and uncle. "I have no intention of losing with _Ojou_ at my side," Libertà says confidently, taking out his own cutlass. They charge at him, only for him to jump behind Libertà. The masked man kicks Libertà from behind, causing him to stumble into Felicità and fall to the floor. The masked man simply nods at the sight.

"Do you really think it's wise to look so confident?" Libertà asks, the two getting up from the floor.

"Let's show him, Libertà." "Yeah!"

The masked man uses his cape as a distraction, turns around and kicks Libertà, the former then turning around and stumbling into Felicità's chest. She blushes, now angered and embarrassed, and knees Libertà in the stomach. "You idiot!" "S-Sorry!"

The masked man raises his cutlass behind them. "Watch out!" Libertà yells, pushing himself and Felicità out of the way. 'At this rate, we can't win' he thinks. "But we have the upper hand in numbers." Libertà gets up from the floor, " _Ojou,_ I'll hold him off. Use that opening." She nods in reply as Libertà charges forward. Felicità positions herself, ready to throw her knives, but...'I can't throw these...like this.'

"Now, _Ojou!_ " he yells, Felicità throwing her knife at the masked man.

It strikes directly at the forehead, but not deep enough to knock him down. The man removes the knife from his mask before getting kicked down by Libertà. "Take this!" The masked man crashes into the mast, cracking it in the process. "Libertà!"

"It's all thanks to you, _Ojou_." The mast continues to crack, now leaning forward to crash...on Felicità! "No!" the masked man yells. " _Ojou!_ "

The girl simply stands in place, not bothering to move out of the way. ( **A/N: what I hate most about anime. the most obvious course of action yet never done. HEROINES**...) "I can do it, too..." Libertà mutters, activating his Arcana powers.

" _Pensiero Realizzare_." ( **A/N: This means "Realized Thought" and is the ability to, well, make whatever he says become reality**.)

"Shatter!" At his command, the _ shatters into pieces.

"That's right... I did this back then..." Libertà says, fainting right after. "Libertà!" Before Felicità could go to her friend, she was knocked out by the masked man. Or should I say...Dante.

"About time..." Arianna mutters, hand Nova and Morena to the "pirates" and walking up to Dante. "Boss!" the members of the famiglia run to the deck, taking off their masks. "Thanks for your hard work, men. You too, Arianna-sama."

"It's for the runt." "Putting on this little act was no big deal."

Arianna scoffs and says, "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who had to stay with them to act the entire thing out."

"This is as far as I can help you. You three need to realize exactly how weak you are and try your best to grow, just like Arianna-sama has," Dante says, looking to the other three teens. "And become stronger in time for the Arcana Duello."

"I'm glad I'm not taking part in that," she mutters.

* * *

Felicità wakes up.

" _Ojou!_ You're not hurt, are you?" Libertà asks her. "It'd be more awkward if she wasn't hurting, sleeping in a place like this," Nova deadpans. "Why do you always have to take that tone?"

Felicità sits up, identifying where they were. "The mansion's underground cellar?" Footsteps could be heard as two figures walk into their line of sight. Jolly and Arianna stood in front of the cell.

"Jolly! Aria!" Nova walks forward, gripping the bars of the cell. "Is my father safe?" he asks.

"Where's the masked man?!" Libertà asks, also moving forward.

"Your father is fine, Nova," Arianna tells her cousin. "I haven't seen a report regarding a masked man," Jolly says. "Eh?"

"When you three, Arianna-sama and Moreno were found at the harbour, apparently there was no trace of the pirate ship," he tells the locked up children. "I'd like to say it was a job well done, but disobeying orders is still disobeying orders. Normally, you'd get a more severe punishment. However, given your achievements, I'll let you off with one night and two days in the underground cellar. You should be thanking me."

"Wha-" "Agreed," Nova says, cutting the two off.

"I must say that you three are very lucky," Jolly says. "What do you mean?"

"I just thought the whole incident seemed like a test for you to use your Arcana powers." Arianna simply stifles a small laugh. "Of course, that's just how it played out in the end."

"Huh? Wait, how come _Hime_ isn't in here with us?" Libertà asks. Jolly looks over his shoulder before looking forward and saying, "She followed her orders, therefore she doesn't need to stay in the cellar."

Before walking away, Arianna gives them a look of apology and guilt.

"Now that I think about it, I did use my Arcana powers..." Libertà trails off. "You used your powers?" Nova asks.

"He did." The two turn towards Felicità. "And it's because of both of your Arcana powers that we were able to save uncle and return safely."

"Wait a minute! Why does Jolly know what happened on the ship?" Nova asks.

Of course, they're going to have to find out on their own.

* * *

 _ **What is your Tarocco?**_

* * *

 **I finally wrote something! I'm probably just going to focus on this, Gitsune Clan and Know Your Allies for now. SO, the others will be [On Hold] until I finish the anime series parts before moving on with the manga parts. Until the anime series parts are finished, I'll continue with the other ones.**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Enjoy your stay at Regalo Island.**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


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